Dr. John Hillery:

I would say they are divisive if someone is working in job where the person beside them gets €50,000 or €60,000 more than they do. All the trainees I talk to - Dr. Plunkett will address this in a moment - want a fair salary but many of them feel that the new entry-level salary is not fair, particularly compared to what was there before and what they see in places such as Australia or Canada, to which they can go and where they see the quality of life the Senator has just referred to - with better supplied teams, more guaranteed hours and guaranteed progression - as being better. I would agree that €185,000 is a very attractive salary but the new entrants are not eligible for that. That is an issue and has not been discussed at length. Salary is not the main deciding factor for trainees. I might come back to the agency issue but Dr. Plunkett might comment on matters from the trainees' point of view.