Ms Caron McCaffrey:

The difficulty is that we are obligated to work within the parameters of the policies that apply to all civil servants. This is why we went to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in 2015 to seek the extension of a scheme that did not apply to any other civil servant. It is why we have petitioned the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for a review of the occupational injury and disease provisions for civil servants that recognises our staff are in a unique environment. I completely accept the concerns expressed by the Chairman. It is why we are engaging in the review process with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I am as concerned as the Chairman about the circumstances in which some of our staff may find themselves. Certainly from our perspective we are committed to looking for solutions in the context of the review. We have no discretion to operate outside the parameters of the schemes in place for all civil servants.