David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for his indulgence, which I appreciate. It was important for the Minister to set out his position on this issue. Staying with this issue, can I put one point to the Minister. When Phil Ní Sheaghdha from the INMO was before this committee a number of weeks ago, she said:

We are on the record and have said from the outset that when we have 6,000 staff out sick and we have an unpaid workforce of 1,500, what do people think they are doing? I do not accept, nor do they, that they are standing in a supervisory capacity and not engaged in the business of work. Of course they are working and they are not getting paid.

She said that when the Minister was asked at a meeting on 8 February with the same union whether he was going to revert to the March agreement, his answer was "No". Is the Minister's answer still "No"? Is it the case that he will not revert to the March agreement?