Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 407: To ask the Minister for Defence the position regarding the Croke Park agreement; if he has received implementation plans for this agreement from his Department and each State agency under his remit; the status of these implementation plans; the discussion he has had with the EU and IMF regarding the agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29682/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Under the Public Service Agreement 2010-2014, detailed action plans have been developed by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces to underpin the change and reform process envisaged by the Agreement. The Action Plans were first developed in October 2010 and subsequently revised in January 2011. Public service bodies in each sector were required to prepare their first detailed report on the progress being made in implementing their Action Plans last May and the reports provided by the Department and the Defence Forces formed part of the first annual review of the Agreement undertaken by the Implementation Body.

The second phase of progress reporting on the Agreement is underway at present and my Department is currently preparing progress reports for submission to the Implementation Body during October. These reports will be examined by the Implementation Body and published on its website (www.implementationbody.gov.ie). It is expected that all Action Plans will need to be revisited later in the year when decisions have been taken by Government on the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure.

The Government has indicated that the Public Service Agreement represents a key enabler to meeting its fiscal targets under its obligations under the EU/IMF Joint Programme of Assistance. The quarterly returns made to date by the Government under the Programme on public service numbers and the paybill have indicated that the number of public servants is falling and we are on track to meet the existing target of 302,000 public service posts by end 2011. Similarly, the Exchequer pay bill return for the first six months is in line with the 2011 pay bill targets.

The Government has indicated that it wishes to honour the commitments given in the Public Service Agreement. However, this will only be possible if the Agreement is implemented in full.