Tom Shehan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I believe this Bill reflects a common sense approach to good governance and good government. The purpose of the Bill is to allow greater mobility within the public sector and, as a result, greater flexibility. The Bill sets out the technical amendments needed to facilitate such increased mobility. The Croke Park agreement provided a basis for movement within the Civil Service, the health service and the local authority and education sectors, as well as in cases in which internal redeployment is not possible between these bodies and non-commercial semi-State bodies. The arrangements are reaffirmed in the Haddington Road proposals. We live in a fluid business environment in which staff must be flexible enough to change and respond to new work practices and I commend the public service on working with the Government to bring about substantial change within the sector that has contributed much to Ireland's economic recovery. I believe this statement cannot but be reiterated and reaffirmed. At present, such movements of staff within the public sector are not possible legally and secondment arrangements have been used, pending the opportunity to address the legal impediments involved. This Bill removes the legislative barriers to redeployment and mobility in general within the public service, which I believe will create a better public service for better governance and better government. With this in mind, I believe there is little else to say but to commend the Bill to the House and to commend the Minister on bringing it before the House. However, before concluding, I have one query to make of the Minister. I refer to a hypothetical case within the public service, in which a person at grade 8 level was to retire and that post was to be filled from within through redeployment. Could it arise that a public servant at grade 5 or grade 6 level was redeployed into that position? Must a grade 8 level public servant be replaced by another grade 8 level public servant?