Mr. Barry O'Brien:

The allowance has its origins in the 1980s. It was revisited on a number of occasions during formal contract negotiations. It was more recently determined in Labour Court recommendation No. LCR19702, which recommended the continuance of the allowance. The allowance of €61.20 per week was paid to a total of 5,251 staff in 2011 at a total cost to the HSE of €8.1 million.