Ms Avine McNally:

Deputy Butler inquired on two occasions as to whether the Minister has engaged in any conversations with us in respect of this matter. We met the Minister prior to the publication of the Mangan report and, as Mr. Martin stated, this is an issue we have been raising for the past two or three years. We discussed the voluntary proposal with the Minister and she was very clear that if she or her Department considered it, then it would be from a mandatory perspective. The question we must ask in that regard is "Why?" and the answer is that the system is just not flexible enough to allow it to be voluntary. It seems a little backward that we have a social welfare system which does not allow us to be voluntary or to be reflective of the current environment. Many other European countries can facilitate this voluntary opt-in, opt-out model. It is the system, as much as anything else, which is not allowing this. We sought a meeting with the Minister following the publication of the Mangan report. We did not receive a response from her Department. We have spoken to her about this issue but we have not had a formal, face-to-face meeting with her following the publication of the Mangan report.