Government profligacy - Spending not answer to all State’s woes

The exploitation of taxpayers by elements of the public sector continues with the extravagant concessions to 23 prison doctors, striking since May.

They have had their annual salaries increased by 82.8% to €117,000 along with other generous benefits on leave and sick pay.

There have already been highly publicised reports of sick leave being flagrantly abused within the prison service. What will happen if the doctors decide to follow suit? One of the main demands when the prison doctors went on strike was for more support services, especially in the psychiatric area. They undoubtedly had a valid grievance, but it seems the settlement is merely designed to throw money at the doctors and leave the other problems to another independent review. In short, this settlement is merely designed to buy time rather than settle a real problem.

Politicians frequently brag about the amount of money they spend. It is time the public demanded more accountability and value for such expenditure.

Generous benchmarking increases were given to public sector employees supposedly for increased productivity, but there has been little demand for such productivity. Any fool can spend somebody else’s money and this profligacy with the taxpayer’s money should be highlighted and tackled.

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell and the Progressive Democrats have made fiscal rectitude and efficiency cornerstones of their party’s policy, but the kind of increases that have been gratuitously accorded to elements of the public sector could threaten the ultimate viability of elements of the private sector on which the funding of these increases is so dependent.

The Government has been throwing money at problems and shirking the responsibility for fulfilling promises that would involve expenditure, such as the recruitment of the 2,000 extra gardaí, or implementing the necessary measures to abolish hospital waiting lists or provide a significant level of affordable housing. The Government seems ready to purchase industrial peace at any price.

Ultimately, this is merely buying more trouble, as other segments of society will inevitably demand commensurate salaries and benefits.

Aer Lingus is a publicly owned company that was built up at the expense of the Irish taxpayer, but the public is essentially being asked to fund the slimming down of the company in order that it can be transferred to private ownership so that the new owners can reap the benefits.

We must learn from the mistakes of the Eircom disaster when a valuable public asset was sold at a knockdown price that bears little relationship to its value on the open market.

People were encouraged to invest out of a sense of patriotic duty. They were then shamelessly ripped off and compelled to sell their shares, to a comparatively few people, who made millions on the deal.

A public asset was sold at a bargain price so that a few people could make a fortune at the expense of everyone. This must not be allowed to happen again.