Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Mr. McCarthy. On 30 April this year in Kilmainham, Jean-Claude Trichet, the former ECB President, said that Ireland had "total expenditure on compensation of employees in the public sector grew by close to 200% between 1998 and 2008 [ten-year period] compared to the [EU] area figure average of ... 45%" over that period. The social partnership agreements, including benchmarking, played a pivotal role in that respect. Thus when determining the pay terms of social partnership agreements, did external benchmarking with other economies feature as part of the process? If you actually might elaborate and if no, did this give rise to economic risk? And it's coming, Chairman, the reference ... it's Vol. 1. pages 21-34.