Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes. The targeting of waste in the pubic sector was an essential priority but it has gone off the radar in the past two years since the Government came to power. I reckon that the ¤2 billion sum is a conservative figure and that, realistically, some ¤4 billion could be saved. It is outrageous the amount of money that is being wasted. Yesterday, there was a Supplementary Estimate for ¤360 million simply because the management of the health services were unable to manage their budget. Nobody in business would wait until October or November to discover an over expenditure and how to address the matter. They would say that it should be done in January or February and that once a person knows he or she has overspent during the first month or two of the year then he or she can adjust expenditure accordingly. We need professional management to operate the public service. Unfortunately, we do not have it.