Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The credibility of the Government is now at stake. Let us take, for example, An Garda Síochána. The Garda was promised a review under an appendix to the Lansdowne Road agreement which would cover structural, human resources-industrial relations issues together with remuneration.I am not sure what has happened in regard to the structural review but only one serious meeting has taken place with respect to the IR and remuneration issues. Surely to God, given that we are long past the Lansdowne Road agreement, something should have happened by now. Does the Minister really expect organisations to co-operate with the Government, a Government that is guilty of such breach of trust? I understand today that the AGSI, which represents higher grades in the Garda, has joined the Garda Representative Association in refusing to continue the additional free hours of duty demanded under the Lansdowne Road agreement. That stops on 31 December 2015. I understand both organisations will continue to work the Haddington Road agreement until 1 June 2016 but will not participate in any part of the Lansdowne Road agreement. It appears to me that the Government is on a collision course with the Garda in 2016.

In regard to education and casualisation, there is nothing in the FEMPI Bill which will ease the lives of those teachers and lecturers, mostly under the age of 35, who continue to be part time or in temporary posts. Lecturers in our institutes of technology continue to deliver between eight and ten class delivery hours more than their international peers. The number of lecturers has been reduced by 10% while student numbers are up by 20% and funding has been cut by 32%. How long does the Minister expect the education system that is becoming so under-resourced to provide the quality of student graduates for whom the likes of Apple, Google, Facebook, etc. will come to this country? Yesterday we all welcomed the merger between Pfizer and Allergan. Will Ireland continue to attract these large international foreign direct investment players with the current number of lecturers? I believe it is time to start listening to educationalists. It is important to note that teachers and lecturers have not sought one cent in pay increases. All they have asked for is that the Minister negotiate with them on the additional hours foisted on them under the Croke Park and Haddington Road agreements. There is a serious issue and somebody needs to speak to the educationalists about those hours. They are detrimental to education.

The Bill sets out to begin a process of pay restoration for the public service. That is commendable, albeit that I do not believe the Minister needed a FEMPI Bill to do this. Are massive pay increases for senior Government personnel justified? The Taoiseach stands to gain €15,500, the Tánaiste €14,000 and Ministers €12,500.