Mr. Shay Cody:

Any remarks made were not intended to be sarcastic. They simply made the point that various people will argue that some allowances no longer stand up. It is entirely a matter for the relevant unions to listen to the arguments and to make a decision themselves as to whether they wish to go to a third party if they cannot convince the employer. This is part of the normal cut and thrust of all industrial relations.

With regard to the higher paid, to correct the figures Deputy McDonald gave, I understand from the information given to Deputy Tuffy that there are approximately 5,800 people in the entire public service who earn more than €100,000 per year and that the figure does include chief executives of VECs or county managers.