Seanad debates

Monday, 14 June 2021

Public Service Pay Bill 2020: Second Stage

 

10:30 am

Photo of Martin ConwayMartin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I welcome the Bill because it is facilitating pay restoration. It was very difficult in this House between 2011 and 2014. The decisions that had to be made were extremely difficult. It is, therefore, very welcome to be passing legislation now that is having the opposite effect.

I, too, would like to see the public service transformed in the way I know it wants itself to be transformed. Its staff are by and large fantastic. During Covid, they demonstrated exemplary flexibility and an ability to adapt and transfer when necessary. We saw thousands upon thousands of public servants providing an excellent service working from home. Many lessons have been learned. The Government has certainly taken note of the positives that have been demonstrated by the public service.

Admittedly, the health service needs a lot of attention. We are going to see significant change regarding health. That said, it is important to acknowledge the wonderful public servants in the Department of Health, led by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, and his deputy, Dr. Ronan Glynn, whom I believe exemplify everything that is positive about the public service and of which we can be proud. That is just to name two people. In many ways, they are figureheads but they are important figureheads because of how they do their business and advise the Government. The respect the Government has for them, in spite of pushback on many occasions, reflects their quality. There are many more like them throughout the public service. I have had the great privilege for ten years in this House to work with senior public servants to try to effect change. By and large, my experience has always been very positive.

The public service needs to be modernised. I listened carefully to what Senator Burke said about Ireland's ambassadorial appointments throughout the world. He makes a very good point. There needs to be more fusion between the private and public sectors. Those entering the public sector should not see their doing so as taking on a role for life. If they so wish, they should be able to develop their skill set and move into the private sector, and perhaps move back into the public sector afterwards. That type of flexibility and transferability very much needs to be facilitated. The public service needs to be attractive to people from the private sector because it needs to keep attracting the best society has to offer. I note the number of new staff promoted in the Houses of the Oireachtas, even within the committee secretariat and other sections. Considerable experience has been lost through retirement, which is a pity. The Minister of State is very aware that there is a big loss of skills and knowledge but, at the same time, some of the people coming up along the line and who have become clerks of committees and have taken on very senior roles, even in this branch of the public service, are people one would be immensely proud to work alongside. They have done a phenomenal job. That is reflected throughout the public service. The public service needs to become more flexible and dynamic, however. It needs to become more attractive to the private sector. It even needs to become more attractive to Irish citizens abroad who might be working in specialised areas and who might like to come home to join it. Therefore, there is much work to be done. However, this legislation, which is to restore pay and create a framework for the elimination of the FEMPI cuts, is very much welcome.

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