Dr. Ursula Barry:

I agree. The Citizens' Assembly looked at the cost of subsidising private pensions. There is a lot of discussion about how our public expenditure system works but the costing of tax reliefs is not central in that discussion a lot of the time. The cost can be incredibly high and therefore the benefits are very high to those in middle and higher income parts of society. It was also interesting that, with regard to the environment and the retrofitting of homes, the Government decided to establish one-stop shops where people could get all the different things, such as for their attic and windows, and there would be an overall costing and an overall level of subsidisation. One thing our welfare system does have is a structured system that is clear as to what the entitlements are for individuals or households in different situations. We definitely do not have a one-stop shop and we could go down that road.

Collective bargaining is important. At the moment there are discussions about going back into the national wage agreement and looking at the impact of inflation on working people's wages. Those from the trade union side have said they are also interested in what kind of services would be supported. It is not just about what the wage levels are set at but what other kinds of public services are supported that would amount to a better quality of life. The trade unions are quite conscious of that process and I hope that will carry right through the negotiations. It is quite important that it happens like that.