Mr. John Mullins:

It must be worked out. In essence, in our own system at a regional level, whether it is Cork, Dublin, Limerick or Waterford, there are grades and a grade is given based on a competency assessment for the job.

We have discussed this with members of the local authorities. The pension issues in local authorities complicate matters for somebody from the local authority to come into a commercial semi-State company because the pension arrangements are very different, and that is a fundamental barrier. That is why in the initial period we are talking about secondments so that the employees of the local authorities retain their pension rights within the local authority but carry out their functions on behalf of Irish Water because their skills are appropriate to Irish Water.

We will have direct recruits. There will be the option for local authority engineers, technicians and operatives to move over on a regional basis to Irish Water structures and they will be assessed on the basis of grades that are in place within the local authorities.