Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

They were not released under the Croke Park agreement and the other national agreements prior to this. It is in that context that they were not released on this occasion but I will clarify that matter for the Deputy on Report Stage.

I have to be more circumspect in what I say about the terms and conditions of those in the NTMA. Deputy Fleming is right that my instinctive position is that we should know what everybody on the public payroll is paid. However, there are real difficulties in ensuring everything works the way it should and that we get people like those in the NTMA who are doing a cross-sectional and a very important set of jobs for the State in challenging times, despite what the Deputy said that they have had nothing to do for the past three years. I am afraid if they were here-----