Ms Patricia King:

With respect, how committee members, as legislators, handle the management of the public service is a matter for them. I cannot run around the table and tell management how to operate. My task is to represent our members and that is what I will do.

As Mr. Geraghty made clear, the situation on allowances did not evolve through the Croke Park agreement. It was a decision by the collective employer to come to the table and announce that it wanted them to be reviewed. This is what happened. There is nothing stopping committee members, as legislators, from making decisions on who they regard are highly paid in the public service and there is nothing stopping the trade union movement from reacting accordingly. That is how the system operates. The Croke Park agreement does not state anything about taking away allowances, but, hey presto, we now have a list on the table which the Government states it wants to take away. That is the reality. Beating up the Croke Park agreement and the trade unions attached to it and stating they are the cause of all the ills is narrow. People must take responsibility in places where they need to do so.