Sir, – Your editorial states that “It is essential that services to the public in key areas such as health and education continue to improve” (“The Irish Times view on the public sector pay agreement: focus now on improving services”, March 25th). A letter writer (March 27th) calls on the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to justify his title and make sure public service reforms occur, given the new public sector pay deal.
In the case of primary and second-level education, the above observations appear completely out of touch with reality. There is, and has been for some considerable time, a recruitment and retention crisis in teaching. It’s a crisis which is significantly hampering the delivery of educational services.
The new pay deal will, like its predecessors, do nothing to solve this recruitment crisis. Calling for improvements in the delivery of a service when you cannot recruit personnel is naive.
Forget the recession-induced thinking that looks for efficiencies for payments that only make public servants poorer. A new ministry which reflects the true nature of our economy must be urgently established.
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I suggest that Paschal Donohoe’s brief be renamed the “Minister for Public Sector Recruitment and Enhancement”. – Yours, etc,
SEAN KEAVNEY,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.