Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the consistency element, with 34 local authorities there is bound to be an absence of universal application of some of the allowances at least. There will also be inconsistencies in how various allowances are dealt with by local authorities. Is there a common pay scale across the 34 local authorities? With regard to how allowances are applied, if a union negotiates an allowance for outdoor staff in Donegal County Council, is this used as a precedent to make a case for the same allowance to be paid in Cork, Kilkenny or Tipperary, or would it be a stand-alone allowance and unique to Donegal? Does the Department ultimately sanction the pay, terms and conditions for local authority staff? This has to do with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's definition of "civil servant" and the use of this model.