Mr. Shay Cody:

It comes entirely out of our subscriptions. We receive no State funding or anything like that. We see it as part of what we do.

Deputy Lahart mentioned the INTO. The INTO also doubles up as a professional body, if I can call it that. One of its biggest conferences is its education conference, at which it discusses education issues, syllabuses and so on, as opposed to what might be called its trade union conference. This is very common within the teaching profession. Similarly, the Deputy may know that the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has purchased the old Richmond Hospital as a training centre for the continuous professional development of its members. Many trade unions provide such a dimension to their work, but we see that the State does not fund this. We are not seeking funding from the State. This would simply be a recognition of what we do. If we go back to the former Minister, Charlie McCreevy's comments when he introduced the tax relief following discussions behind the scenes with the trade unions, it was in recognition of their role in delivering economic and social cohesion for the wider society. I would add to that the add-on benefits we provide for our members and the services they deliver.

Deputy Lahart mentioned, I suppose, a closed shop, whereby technically speaking one could claim tax relief on union subscriptions. They are very few and far between in the Irish trade union movement. They may be more a symptom in other countries.