Last week I asked the Taoiseach if the Government had a national plan to protect front-line services following the well flagged and expected exodus of public servants on 29 February. He responded that the Government "has no intention of allowing a situation where it is not possible for front-line services to be fulfilled." He added that there was a central planning unit and sectoral planning units in place. However, he made no mention of the establishment of transitional teams, about which we had to wait last Sunday last to hear. A short while ago the Minister for Justice and Equality was unable to confirm the existence of a specific transitional team in his Department.

It appears that the transitional teams are stable door closing committees. This illustrates the mismatch between what is being said in the House and the reality on the ground. This is what we are picking up throughout the services. Various Ministers are saying the process of redeployment is being put to the test as a result. However, the trade unions are stating redeployment is not an issue, as there is total co-operation on the issue. It would appear that the real crux is when business plans are being sent up the line after redeployment has been agreed but are not being given the green light. That is particularly evident in the health sector. Maternity services are especially vulnerable to a situation such as this, and personnel are absolutely required to ensure safety and the avoidance of any difficulties. We gave the example of the maternity hospital in Limerick. Redeployment has been agreed locally and there is a need for additional staff after redeployment. One month after the business plan has been sent up the line, however, it has not been approved and it has not got the green light.

Yesterday the Minister for Health finally admitted that public patients will have their surgery cancelled as a result of what is happening.

You are over time, Deputy.

These things would not be happening if there had been a planned approach to this particular issue. Why are we getting a constant drip feed of issues arising from the difficulties caused by this exit from the public service?

The public and the workers are awaiting certainty and guidance from the Government on this issue. If there is a plan, will the Taoiseach agree to publish it? Will he publish all documentation in every Department outlining the transitional work that is under way?

Deputy Martin is aware that there have been programmes over the years, involving every commentator in the land, about the bloated extent of the public service and the requirement to reduce overall numbers and, consequently, the cost of the public sector due to the impact down the line on pension payment requirements. Planning has been ongoing for quite a long time in this area. However, the situation in respect of the numbers leaving the public service at the end of February has not crystallised until recent days. While there has been quite a deal of intensive work across Departments, the figures did not become clear until very recently.

Given the age profile of public servants, it was assumed that up to 9,000 whole-time equivalent workers would retire by the end of February 2012. Provisional figures indicate that public service numbers fell to around 297,000 by the end of 2011 compared with the projected figure of 300,000. Latest figures indicate that 6,600 people plan to retire in January and February this year. The figures in the Department of Health go from September to the end of February. The expectation in the education sector is for 2,000 staff to retire while for the Civil Service it is 1,008 and in the health sector it is 2,263. There were 1,433 staff who went in 2011. Local authorities expect 859 staff to retire while 241 plan to retire from the Defence Forces and 297 from the Garda Síochána.

It is nothing new to have several thousand people leaving the public sector each year in the normal way. Given the figures we know by the end of February 2012, it is right and proper that the transition be managed in a proper fashion so that services are not diminished for people who actually need them. That is why there should be transitional teams in the five areas of health, education, local government, justice and defence, headed by assistant secretaries in each Department, and that this line of communication right down to local planners would have a clear understanding of how they propose to continue to provide services following these retirements.

Thank you, Taoiseach.

On top of that, there should be very active communication with the people about what is happening.

The Deputy has rightly identified health as being of particular importance. He spoke about redeployment. I listened to the nurses' representative this morning working towards the objective of providing proper services for everyone. The Cabinet sub-committee on health had a meeting last week on this issue. There is another meeting about it tonight in my own Department. By next Tuesday, the transition teams and the way they are going to manage the business in each sector will be presented by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in a memo to the Cabinet. There will be clarity, understanding and a communication to the people about how this will work.

I take it from that reply that no transition teams are in place today. Last Sunday the Taoiseach said on RTE that the Government had set up transition teams. We have to move away from saying one thing on Sunday and another thing on Tuesday.

Spoken like a true expert.

I agree with the Taoiseach that health is the most vulnerable sector. It is clear that there is an absence of any planning in this area. Surgery would not be cancelled to the extent that has occurred if there was any degree of planning in advance. There is now a nine month delay in processing medical card applications. There is not a Deputy in the House who has not been called by people about this issue, especially those who are applying to have their medical cards renewed. Does the Taoiseach realise that chronically ill patients who have been on medical cards for years have to pay between €120 and €150 to get life-saying medicine? It is very serious.

If people were planning and had some idea of what was happening on the ground, at least they would immediately tell pharmacists to allow the medication while the application for the medical card is being processed due to the inordinate delays at central level. The Government could take the practical step of making an executive order stating that those applying for a renewal of their medical card keep getting their medication under the old card until a decision has been made on their renewal application. Chronically ill patients are being put under enormous pressure when procuring life-saving drugs. I am not making that up. People across the House are regularly getting such calls. The Government could immediately act on this, as it could on community services, planned surgeries and so on.

Have any transition teams been established in any Department, or is it just something the Taoiseach invented on Sunday and is now going to follow through because it sounded good on "This Week"? Could he give Members the timeline for the establishment of these transition teams? They are urgently needed, especially in the health area.

The Deputy is very good himself at saying things that never happened. If he just listened to what I said, he would have heard that the figures for those leaving in the sectors I mentioned only became clear at the weekend. For that reason, it is right and proper that a plan be put in place in order that we can communicate to people about what is going to happen and how that will be managed. In the health area, for example, I expect that local hospital managers will be available to clarify the plans they have in place.

All of these discussions have taken place for quite some time, but in the absence of accurate figures. We now know those figures. The Cabinet sub-committee dealing with health confirmed this last week. There is also a meeting in my own Department this evening and all of these teams will be named and placed and approved by the Cabinet next Tuesday, so that people-----

That is the stable door closing.

-----will be well aware of the process by which the change will be managed in every area throughout the country in respect of------

There are no teams in place. Sunday's announcement was not quite correct then.

It is the team that we have had for the past 14 years-----

The Deputy will recall the planning issue when he said he would give medical cards to those over 70.

In spite of the rugby match, people were keenly listening to what the Taoiseach was saying on Sunday.

The Deputy will recall that he agreed to give medical cards to every person over 70 years and he assumed this would be about 10,000 people. He miscalculated by 60,000 at least.

We did it and it was a very good public health measure.

These are just 15 committees.

I think it is only right and proper that the Government should plan properly, based on the accuracy of figures which we now know and this is what is under intensive discussion here.

But do they exist?

It will come before Cabinet next Tuesday. Transition teams will deal with the areas, now that we know the accuracy of the figures.

For the information of Deputy Martin, we found the missing briefs.

Who was on Deputy Rabbitte's committee?

The Taoiseach is having another Roscommon moment.

Could we have order, please.