Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Yes, it is a list of the allowances we have identified that do not form a significant part of core pay and which can, therefore, be addressed under the existing Croke Park agreement arrangements. However, I have asked sectoral managers to add to that list and I will keep the committee informed of how that work is progressing. I do not want them all to be referred to the Labour Court, although people have that option. I am hoping to negotiate a quicker arbitration mechanism to determine these cases. If people want to use the legal mechanisms in place, they can do so, but I want to engage with the unions to try to find a quicker way of dealing with these cases.

In terms of voluntary redundancies, the exit package in February involved people making sensible decisions for themselves. Those who were coming up to retirement were given the option of having their pensions based on their pre-cut salary level and some decided to leave early. We had no control over who those people would be and, as Deputy Paschal Donohoe rightly said, we lost skilled staff we did not want to lose. The voluntary redundancy scheme for which I have Government approval involves each Minister examining his or her own Department and agencies within its remit to find areas in which there are surplus staff. There are surplus staff in many agencies. There are significant staff surpluses in the HSE on the administrative side, for example, and also in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to name but two. We will have targeted schemes to deal with these surpluses. Staff will not be applying for redundancy and no one with a critical skill who would have to be replaced will be eligible. We can talk about this matter again in greater detail at a future date, but I am under time pressure today.

I have answered Deputy Eoghan Murphy's question on allowances, but I can provide more details for the committee, if required. I will furnish members with copies the letters sent. In fact, I will put them on the website which perhaps might be helpful to the committee.