In the worst of times, the previous Administration had a good record on dealing with public servants and their representatives when money was very tight and this country was under the cosh of the troika. The maintaining of industrial peace during that period was in stark contrast to what happened in other programme countries. Right now, as our economy is improving, we can see a fall in unemployment, but we also see very grave concerns arising across the public services. Members of An Garda Síochána are outside this House at the moment. Nurses are on work to rule in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. Teachers are planning industrial action and other elements of the public service are also indicating that they will want changes in the negotiated pay settlements.

Will the Taoiseach confirm that the Haddington Road and Lansdowne Road agreements will be implemented fully both in terms of the pay restoration but also in the timeframe set out in those agreements or is it his plan to accelerate those payments? Will he accelerate the rate of pay restoration in light of the economic improvements that the Government has constantly underlined? In particular, will he accelerate the restoration through reduced pension related deductions, PRD, to public sector pensions?

First I should say that Deputy Howlin, in his previous capacity as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in the previous Government, did an enormous job in dealing with very difficulty circumstances. I have commended him publicly before for his engagement with trade unions on public sector pay in very difficult circumstances given the nature of the decisions that the Government of the day were to make, particularly in the first three years.

That is no way to treat the Opposition.

We will talk to you in three years' time.

I thought I should say it anyway, Deputy Martin. Partnership.

An pholaitíocht nua.

Slurp, slurp.

It would be nice if you had something nice to say, but you did not.

The programme for Government contains a very strong commitment in the Lansdowne Road agreement and I confirm that will be implemented fully as will the Haddington Road agreement. That gives a good framework for the next few years for the Government's proposals for a continuation of public service reform as well as setting out an agreed pathway to pay restoration for public servants that is affordable to taxpayers. It is also important to respect the fact that the overwhelming majority of public servants have committed to working within that framework and have made very considerable sacrifices in the interest of restoring the fiscal health of the country. This has been confirmed, as Deputy Howlin is aware, by his successor, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, in his recent meeting with representatives of the public service trade unions and it is now the basis for all engagements between Ministers and the bodies representing staff in their particular sectors.

The Government is committed to achieving its programme on a sustainable fiscal basis. Having certainty over the next few years on the question of the pay bill is of absolutely critical importance to the future work of the Government, which is underpinned by an affordable public pay bill. It will allow for the funding of some necessary staff increases to meet needs in critical areas of the public service. The agreements have to be, and will be, implemented in their entirety, as the best way forward to meeting the needs of our public service in terms of pay policy while also continuing to reform work practices and deliver a public service that is held up as a model for others.

The Government would like to encourage those who have not yet signed up to the Lansdowne Road agreement to give their consideration to it. These are difficult choices and difficult circumstances. I know some of the unions have made their voting intentions clear. I want to emphasise to Deputy Howlin that there is no desire on the part of the Government to be at odds with its employees on this issue and Deputy Howlin is well aware that the Government has fully funded the commitments made under the Lansdowne Road agreement. However, I do wish to emphasise that the Government intends to keep faith with the overwhelming majority of public servants who have committed to working within that framework and who have made considerable sacrifices in restoring the economic health of the country.

I thank the Taoiseach for his kind comments, but I am a little confused. Is the Taoiseach saying that the timeframe and the rate of pay restoration will only be done in accordance with the agreement under the Haddington Road and Lansdowne Road agreements and that there will be no deviation from that? Is that the stated Government position? Further, what are the Government's plans for addressing recruitment difficulties in key areas such as in the nursing sector where there are now 1,800 vacant posts? Will his Government step outside the architecture of the Haddington Road-Lansdowne Road agreement to deal with that particular issue?

In respect of the latter, there is no embargo on recruitment provided that the hospital in question has the resources to recruit the staff necessary. In particular, there is no embargo in respect of critical staff being employed in the intensive care unit.

My question was whether there will be changes to their terms and conditions.

As Deputy Howlin is well aware, we cannot have an open-ended recruitment process if the money and resources are not available, either for particular hospitals or for any Department.

The Minister has not commented upon any expediting of the agreements, save to say that both will have to be implemented in their entirety. He has commended the many hundreds of thousands of public servants who have committed to working within that regime. Clearly, in the case of those who are outside, there is a willingness to work with the unions to see how the matter might be moved on. However, we cannot have a situation where the same benefits apply for those who have voted to remain outside because of the considerable sacrifices implemented by many of those public servants in the interests of restoring the financial health of the country. That is why the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act was put through before the Christmas period, as Deputy Howlin is aware.