Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I take the Minister of State's point but it is only a couple of weeks since we had the industry and - perhaps I should not use the term - the service outside the gates of Leinster House making the case about that service having become a low wage sector. One of the costs on that service is rates. The Minister of State is now going some part of the way on behalf of the community services and I hope that concession will be reflected in the salaries. I can give chapter and verse on the locations in my constituency where the two co-exist side by side, and where it will become an issue in terms of the capacity of one provider to perhaps be more competitive in terms of rates it charges. It is a bit like the position with the sports clubs. On foot of the level of service they provide through the ECCE, that provision is to be exempted, as it is exempted already for the person who provides that service exclusively and does not provide the other range. I cannot see it as being other than a logical step to move that across to the person who provides the comprehensive set of services.