Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is fair enough. I just wanted to get the ministerial assessment and that of the Department as to where we are at this point in time, and that is a wee bit at odds with the stance of IFAC. Obviously we will know better as we get closer to budget day.

I wish to pick up on the point made about a new public pay deal. We know that under the existing ELS the existing pay deals and increments that have been agreed will come out of that package.

The discussions that are under way on a new pay deal will have to come out of the €2.7 billion unallocated resources that the public is now familiar with. The unions have rejected what has been put on the table until now and that is their right. Hypothetically if that package and offer were to be agreed what would be the impact in 2022, if any, and, more important, in 2023? How much of the €2.7 billion would it erode?