Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 289: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the sectorial transitional team plans and service implications following the exodus of 6,600 public servants at the end of February will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9363/12]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 293: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has considered deferring some of the pending public sector retirements particularly from maternity services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6385/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 289 and 293 together.

It is a matter for each sector to manage potential service delivery issues arising from retirements to end-February and beyond. Questions as to how these issues are being managed should most appropriately be addressed to the relevant Minister. As the Deputy is aware, sectoral Transition Teams have been put in place to deal with the specific short-term challenges arising from the ending of the grace period. The reports from these Teams indicate that they have given due consideration to the impact of staffing reductions on the various sectors and the most fitting and expeditious ways of managing these. As they have the most current information on service provision at a local level, each sectoral Transition Team has been directed to actively communicate with the public via whichever means appropriate in order to allay concerns with regard to critical frontline service delivery. Public concerns about service levels should be addressed proactively and the public should be kept informed of business continuity arrangements that are in place. In the case of the civil service, material from the Transition Team process is available on my Department's website at http://per.gov.ie/civil-service-sectoral-plan/ .

Beyond the February 2012 grace period deadline, the Strategic Workforce Planning Groups in each sector will continue to ensure that sectoral employers develop plans to deal with the operational and strategic consequences arising from the outflow of staff in 2012 and future years on an ongoing basis.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 290: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views that there should be more co-operation in relation to roster flexibility in the context of the Croke Park agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7781/12]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 291: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views and if he will provide an update on the Croke Park agreement implementation. [7787/12]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 292: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has met recently with the social partners in relation to the Croke Park agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7783/12]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 295: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the future of the Croke Park agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5153/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 290 to 292, inclusive, and 295 together. The Implementation Body for the Public Service Agreement 2010-2014 (or 'Croke Park Agreement) published its first Annual Progress Report in June 2011. The Report examined the savings and reform delivered in the first year of the Agreement and found that sustainable pay bill savings in the order of €289m had been achieved during the review period. It also reported that "solid and measurable" progress was being made on implementing the Action Plans for reform in each sector, while pointing to certain issues that needed to be accelerated over the next reporting period.

An interim report published by the Body in November provided evidence of further progress on the delivery of change and reform across the public service under the Agreement over the period April to September 2011. The second annual review of the Agreement is scheduled to take place after Easter and will assess the savings achieved in the second year of the Agreement. As before, it will also scrutinise the level of progress being made on implementing the reform programmes in each sector. I look forward to the outcome of that review which I expect will be published shortly thereafter.

The Government has stated that it wishes to honour the commitments given under the Agreement, namely that there would be no further reductions in the pay rates of serving public servants or compulsory redundancies (save where existing exit provisions apply). However, we have also made clear that it will only be possible to do so provided there is full delivery of the necessary flexibilities and reforms that are required under the Agreement. There are no proposals to invoke Paragraph 1.28 of the Agreement ("The implementation of this Agreement is subject to no currently unforeseen budgetary deterioration").

In regard to rostering reform, it is for public service management in the sectors concerned to pursue such reform in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement, and the agreements in each sector, in a manner which ensures the full potential of the Croke Park Agreement is realised. I am not aware of instances where staff are refusing to co-operate with roster reform. There are some examples of progress in this area including the introduction of an extended working day for medical laboratory staff last year; extended working arrangements for radiography staff from February 2012 and the scheduled introduction of a new roster model for An Garda Síochána from April 2012.

Finally, in regard to engagement with the social partners, I addressed a meeting of the IBEC National Council on 25th January last and it was a useful opportunity to listen to the views of IBEC members on a range of issues relating to the public service reform agenda and the Croke Park Agreement. In addition, my officials are in regular contact with representatives from the Public Services Committee of ICTU, IBEC and other stakeholders on issues relating to the Department's work.