Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The structure is very simple. There is one Lansdowne Road agreement. It is the document the Deputy has in front of him, a document promulgated by the then Labour Relations Commission, now the Workplace Relations Commission. It is its document that it presented to both sides who have formally endorsed and agreed it.

This is not fanciful but, over days, when one has all the key trade union officials and the sectoral negotiators, such as health, local government, as well as departmental, in the same building, they are often waiting around because of bilateral discussions between one sector or another. Of course, they will then avail of the opportunity to have side-chats and discussions. What has happened in a few of those is what is known as a chairman’s note. In other words, after discussions between the sectoral trade union and the employer, they will tell the chairman they have an agreement on a matter and would he note it. It has nothing to do with the agreement formally but, en passant, it would be given, if one likes, the imprimaturof the Labour Relations Commission. However, I do not see them. They are negotiations done bilaterally. Sometimes, they are brought to my attention because there might be cost implications but other times there might be no cost implications.

Sometimes long-standing issues are put into a new negotiating formula, for example, to be brought forward into the future. To answer the Deputy's net question, the Lansdowne Road agreement is the document signed off on, and promulgated by, the Labour Relations Commission and presented to both sides as their agreement, as their recommendation.