Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In respect of allowances, people obviously get some allowances for expenses incurred. People get other allowances which should not be called allowances for taking on additional responsibilities and acquiring additional qualifications. One gets them in the private sector also. Then there are the others which potentially drag down the system, although I acknowledge they might only account for a relatively small proportion. I was looking through some of them which can be found in the supplementary business case submitted to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I refer to Nos. 86 to 89, the eating on-site allowances. Is this literally an allowance people are being given for eating in their workplace where there is no canteen facility? I note that in the case of maintenance staff in County Dublin VEC, 69 staff are getting it. While it is not pensionable, it is costing us €34,224. In the case of the DIT, 170 staff are getting the eating on-site allowance, at a cost of €80,750. There is a much smaller amount recorded for the caretaker in County Mayo VEC of €1,496. Workshop attendants in Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology also are mentioned. The delegates should explain what is the eating on-site allowance.