Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I worked in a cinema when I was in college and when it had to get rid of some staff, it was a case of last in, first out. It was the same in the school in which I worked before becoming a Deputy. It does not work like that in the Dáil, which is not last in, first out at all. In most work environments, however, if there are jobs to be shed, it is last in, first out. It is a real bugbear for people who work for Aer Lingus that some staff who had joined the workforce of Aer Lingus in winter of 2019 held their jobs whereas other employees at Shannon who had 25 or 30 years of service, or more, and were among the most senior in the organisation, were given the three choices outlined by Mr. Moriarty. Yes, they had a choice and there was no compulsion but there was an inherent compulsion, certainly during the Covid pandemic when people were trying to put bread on the table and pay their mortgage. There was a very tough decision to be made. I am done with that point but I hope new contracts will make clear that seniority does matter in the organisation.

How much did the Government pay under the EWSS? Does Mr. Moriarty have a total figure for that?