Ms Geraldine Tallon:

-----because it is very early days for Irish Water. Our concern has always been that this model should be as lean as possible. We understood that the pay scales were based on the pay model already in place for Bord Gáis Éireann which had been negotiated and agreed with staff in relatively recent times - in 2013, I think. Our understanding was that this reflected the contemporary economic environment. We want to see a structure that drives performance and efficiency. If the model has competitive pay rates but can also drive performance and high performance, that is what we want to see happening in Irish Water.