Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

-----what the alternative is and be upfront with the people. What we have achieved to date - there is much more to be done - is a phenomenal achievement in the context of where this country is currently.

The truth is that the critics of the agreement on both sides do not appear to have any credible alternatives. Any alternatives must have regard to those working within the public service who are called on to deliver more services in difficult circumstances, in an environment where resources have never been so stretched and who are themselves taxpayers, mortgage holders and participants in the wider economy. That said, the Government will fully support management acting to drive the reform agenda and extract unnecessary costs from the system.

There are no easy solutions to the challenges we face. We must bring public expenditure back to sustainable levels while maintaining front line services and delivering improvements where possible. That will not be easy, of course. The bottom line is that the Croke Park agreement has delivered to date. That has been demonstrated by the implementation body. It is critical that it continues to deliver. The agreement cannot, and was never intended to, be the solution to all of our problems but it can make an important contribution to ensuring stability and certainty, the necessary foundations for a return to growth.

We must have a more informed debate about all of these issues. There has been far too much populist, ill-informed comment about the public finances and the Croke Park agreement. This has had the effect of creating deep divisions between the private sector and those working in the public sector. That kind of false dichotomy, or false fight, between the public and private sectors does no one any good. It is a fundamental lie for those not so much in this House but outside it to perpetuate some kind of continuous battle between the public and the private sectors for their own selfish ends. We need people working together in a totally changed environment to get us through this enormous crisis. We need people working together, whether from the public sector or the private sector, to ensure this country has a future. That is what we intend to achieve and if the Croke Park agreement is part of the solution to that, then so be it.