Ms Anna Shakespeare:

Senator Burke asked about the increase in budget and whether it was matched between the HSE and the voluntary service providers. This year, the HSE budget uplift was 6%. Our members did not experience a similar uplift. It is a little more complicated for section 38 agencies that use the pension related deduction, or the additional superannuation charge to which it has become this year, as part of their operational income. This goes back a little to Deputy Durkan's query on how we are funded. We are funded by using some of the pension levy income in addition to the allocation from the HSE. The effect of this for some of our members is they have had a negative increase in budget, that is, a decrease in budget, or a 1.16% or 1.6% increase in budget. This does not match the pay awards we are expected to pay to remain compliant with health sector pay policy.