Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I recognise that the Government is doing much that needs to be done; we do not always agree with the exact direction of it, but the figures overall are agreed. The Government constantly speaks about the external pressures that existed when it came into power. At some point will the Minister list the external pressures he and the Tánaiste, Deputy Gilmore, keep speaking about that existed subsequent to the signing of the IMF agreement? Effectively, the State was bankrolled by the IMF in November 2010; whether we like it or not, this is what happened. The Government was following a programme and has certainly taken a political hit for taking certain actions. As I stated, we do not agree with the method, but we accept that the deficit must be reduced.

The other point to remember is that when the Minister says he is 85% of the way there, 60% of this 85% comprises measures the previous Government brought into force which he opposed at the time, although he acknowledges now that they were the right thing to do. The crisis resulted in unpalatable policies and Fianna Fáil tried to be as fair as possible.

I have some sympathy with what Senator Norris said, not with regard to whether we have a financial emergency, because we do, but with regard to whether the Bill qualifies as a financial emergency Bill. Senator Norris has raised interesting points. I am not sure whether I fully agree with him, but the issue of allowances has been kicked around for the past year and there does not seem to have been any emergency or urgency about how the matter was dealt with. There was an issue about reducing allowances but it did not happen. This was followed by the Croke Park II talks, which collapsed. Then we had the Haddington Road agreement, and now, after all of this, we have the Bill. One would question whether this qualifies in the same way that the previous measures qualified, although the savings and the impact on people were much greater. The then Government tried to be as fair as possible, but the impact amounted to approximately €2 billion before tax. I may be mistaken on this figure. There were significant hits for the public, but the measures were taken in the context of an immediate emergency, because if we had not done it the country would literally have gone to the wall in the following weeks. That is not the exact position we are in now.

I accept that savings must be made in the public sector pay bill, but this should be done as fairly as possible. I commend those workers who voted against Croke Park II because, by and large, those who brought it down were those who were most affected by the unfair provisions. These were not just about allowances but also about the working week. We certainly came across many of them. Senator Norris has raised interesting points about the Title of the Bill, which lead us back to why it is being rammed through in this very quick fashion. Parliament is being used as a rubber stamp and Ministers will have these powers. I cannot find a copy of the 2009 Act because my phone is playing up, but if the Minister tells me the exact same power to amend terms and conditions is in the 2009 Act I will be happy.

The section refers to any other enactment under which there is the power to change terms and conditions. If the Minister persists with this, I suggest that the best way to do so is by way of parliamentary regulation. However, I will listen to his remarks on the matter.