Mr. Robert Watt:

We need to engage with the staff side. We are going to determine what the responsibilities ought to be now and modernise the system to reflect the fact that there are duties that should be part of normal duties and which are no longer considered exceptional. They may have been exceptional when the allowances were first paid. It is not just a question of defining them in a different way but of trying to ensure the work reflects the realities of the business needs of today.

In the context of the previous discussion, it is important to consider the amounts in question. They are very modest. I refer to services officers who are paid a maximum of less than €500 per week, in other words, people on low pay.