Mr. Cian O'Mearain:

Yes, indeed, I was speaking to the officer who briefed me on that this week. There could easily be three sailors on a ship on three different allowances depending on whether they have sufficient days to qualify for the seafarers' tax credit, whether they are in or out of the sea service commitment scheme and whether they can get enough days to qualify for that, which, through no fault of their own, is now becoming a problem as ships are taken offline. People who have signed up for the scheme and are available to go to sea cannot gain the benefit of it because some cannot get to sea. Then, there is the basic patrol duty allowance. It is a recommendation of the commission that they be rationalised into one allowance. We hope that is going to happen but it has not happened yet.

With regard to comments that were made in this committee last week, we are aware of what other members of the public service get for similar duties. Whatever quantum is arrived at with the patrol duty allowance, it has got to be such that it gives us the feeling that we are equally valued to those colleagues in the public service. That is what I would say on the patrol duty allowance.

There was a question on the rate 2 communications and information services officers, CIS, officers.