John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I might make a point, as Deputy Harris may have missed it. In Ms King's contribution, she dealt with the description of the eating on site allowance. I want to relate this issue to a question that I asked on the business plans. Had they actually been business plans and included explanations, they would have dealt with all of the issues raised by Deputy Harris. A further unfair view of the allowances, their purpose and so on has been created. Someone in the system has failed. I do not blame the witnesses, as they have explained that they were not asked about the business plans. It is a failure of the system that people did not take advantage of the request to provide business plans to describe the allowances as they should be described and as we have heard them described today. A description would have informed the public and every interested party.

Through exchanges at this committee, members have learned a great deal about the allowances. For clarity's sake, our meetings give everyone - employers and the unions representing workers - the opportunity to get the information out there one more time. However, listening to explanations is disappointing, given the fact that management, working with the unions, missed the opportunity to put together business plans that would have made all the difference in conveying information. This seems to be the position. I apologise for cutting across Deputy Harris.