Mr. Jim Breslin:

There have been discussions between the two Departments on the issue of the section 39 agencies. It is not something that was dealt with in the recent pay negotiations because that was restricted to public service employees, and whatever way it is cut, section 39 employees are not public servants. That is the position of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Health. If there were reductions to salaries in those agencies in the bad times, how will that play itself out? It is not correct to say that every employee in a section 39 agency had the very same reductions as the standard right across the public service.

There may, however, be organisations where they did and employees will come forward and say to their employer in light of what is happening in the economy they believe they are entitled to have some of the reductions restored to them. That will raise funding issues, and that was the point that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, made. It is unlikely to happen all in one go and it is unlikely to happen in a standard way as happened in the public service because they were not reduced in a standard way. It will have to be done on a case by case basis.