Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

Like other speakers, I would like to comment briefly on the waste of money that is associated with our sick leave and expenses regimes, as reported in the public media today, yesterday and the day before. We need to reflect on where all of this has come from. I compliment the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, on what they have done in this regard. When they had been in office for approximately a week, they asked for moneys and expenses to be reviewed in every Department. Some of these allowances, including overseas allowances, have been there since the year dot. Some of them are used and some of them are not. Some very good public servants do not get a penny extra in allowances. In the cases of those who do, all of that has to be rooted out. The Minister, Deputy Howlin, appreciates that everybody should get a good salary for doing a good day's work. The itemised lists of public expenses and expenditures were published after a question on the matter was tabled. That information was available because of the ongoing work that was started in each Department a couple of months ago. The Government has said it wants a 5% reduction this year. The reduction next year might be 10% or something like that. Work is ongoing. Those who have spoken on the matter seem to think that this issue came into the public domain yesterday or today and that nothing is being done about it. I assure them that something is beginning to be done about it on foot of the work that has been done since the Government came into office. People get sick, but we cannot have abuse of the sick pay regime. Such abuse has to be rooted out. That work is ongoing.

I call for a debate on a bond system for educational establishments that have connections with universities in other countries. I refer specifically to a flight school that has gone into receivership. It is connected to a school in Florida. Dozens of trainee pilots from the flight school in Waterford are now out of pocket to the tune of €80,000. What will they do? I presume the Minister for Education and Skills is responsible for ensuring that when schools like this are established, they have a bond or insurance to ensure that students who sign up to these courses, in order to get accreditation or training abroad, do not lose €80,000 if the thing goes belly-up. I ask the Leader for a debate on this matter.