Mr. Maurice Mullen:

What the Minister has asked us to do is very clear and is in keeping with what is happening across the board in respect of public service policies. We must be able to construct the cases that will stand up for scrutiny by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform because it will not accept any stepping aside from the embargo at this stage other than where processes we are now going through have been pursued and the case can be shown to stand up.

There were a number of elements in the Fisher Associates report. Much of it is very challenging to us, for example, its preference in respect of our operations. It knows we live in a different type of world - a real world - but it points out that we have to look at what it is recommending. It was challenging us in that way because it knows that unless we can answer the hard questions, we will not be able to meet the requirements of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. That is across the board in the public service. We are all pursuing matters to get the best possible service.

We know there are difficulties in respect of local issues and knowledge and that all those factors must come into the equation. I cannot answer the question of how they should come in at this stage because we are still setting up the building blocks.