Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the public service pay negotiations that started today. I wish to place one particular sector in focus for all of us because I hear people talk constantly on the radio about productivity and demanding more from the public service. In 2008, the institute of technology sector had a budget of approximately €542 million and 4,845 staff, catering for approximately 67,400 students. By 2014, the budget had been cut to €354.133 million. The number of academics had been cut to 4,300 and the number of students had been increased to 83,000. That is a cut of almost €188,000, a reduction of more than 500 academic staff and an increase of 16,000 students. The public service has played its part in bringing this country out of the doldrums it was left in after the collapse. I believe this House should warmly thank the public service for what it has done. It carried the debt of this country on its back and it got nothing for it.

I join with my colleague, Senator Quinn, with respect to his call for a debate with the Minister for Justice and Equality on the criminal justice system. I am sure some Members present listened to an RTE radio programme yesterday morning on which a number of thugs were interviewed following their appearance in Tullamore court. They thought it was hilariously funny that they could refuse to pay their fines, get a jail sentence, be sent to Dublin and get a good dinner and a bus ticket home for free. Apparently, that is the situation with such young thugs. We are talking about making attachment orders for water charges to people's dole payments. Those thugs should have their fines attached to their dole. More importantly, we should see them out in high-visibility suits cleaning the streets of this country.