Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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182. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which all branches of the public service are likely to benefit from the sacrifices made in terms of pay reduction and longer working hours throughout the economic downturn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20037/16]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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183. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which the targets set by his Department continue to be met throughout the public sector in anticipation of restoration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20038/16]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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184. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which the objectives set out in the the Public Service (Croke Park) Agreement 2010 to 2014 and the Public Service Stability (Haddington Road) Agreement 2013 to 2016 continue to be met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20039/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 182 to 184, inclusive, together.

I am satisfied that the Croke Park Agreement and Haddington Road Agreement combined delivered on their objectives by facilitating significant cost savings in the public service paybill while supporting an extensive public service reform agenda in an industrial relations climate of industrial peace. This was a view shard by the Implementation Body for the Croke Park Agreement in their final report.

The savings made contributed to Ireland reaching the GDP Deficit target of 3% by end 2015 and exiting the Economic Adjustment Programme. Given the scale of the fiscal crisis facing the country and the fiscal consolidation measures required to restore our finances, the contribution made by public servants has been very significant and it is a contribution that I wish to acknowledge.

In addition to delivering on monetary targets, a number of reforms and changes to work practices, such as additional working hours, have been implemented since 1 July 2013. Approximately 15 million additional hours have been provided by staff right across the Public Service. These reforms have contributed to the maintenance and enhancement of existing public services during a period of significant constraints on public expenditure and at a time when public services were under increasing demand.

Due to the difficult measures adopted and the resulting improvement in the economy, the Government has, through the negotiation and agreement of a financially prudent public service agreement on pay and related issues, provided for a gradual unwinding of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Acts as they apply to public servants. The terms of this agreement, the Lansdowne Road Agreement, are being implemented under the FEMPI Act 2015 at a full year cost of €844m to 2018. All public servants covered by the Agreement will benefit, for example a public servant earning €30,000 will receive an extra €2,170 under the agreement. Importantly the Agreement secures and extends the productivity improvements under the Haddington Road Agreement.

The continued improvement in our fiscal position has also allowed for targeted recruitment in 2015 and 2016 to fill critical gaps in public service numbers, due to the recruitment moratorium, and meet additional staffing requirements in frontline services related to demographic change. In total since Q4 2013, the Government has approved to the end of 2016 the recruitment of an additional 18,100 public servants to meet demands for enhanced public service delivery at a cost of an extra €1.1bn to our paybill over three years. These include 4,300 Teachers; 1,500 Special Needs Assistants 1,700 Nurses and over 1,000 consultants/doctors/dentists.