Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Labour accuses National over public sector cuts

Updated at 7:01 pm on 19 March 2010

The Labour Party says an election promise will have been broken if the Government has cut frontline services in its bid to streamline the public service.

State Services Minister Tony Ryall has been unable to give an assurance to Parliament that none of the almost 1500 who lost their jobs last year had been working in a frontline position.

Mr Ryall, says some of those will have come from departments that have frontline services.

Labour's state services spokesperson, Grant Robertson, says that not only has the National Party broken the promise of capping rather than cutting the public service, it now appears to be admitting that frontline services are being cut too.

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