Mr. Kevin Callinan:

I will answer that question if I may. The Senator is correct. We are pleased the Government, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications have put forward €150,000 for research so that Ireland can be part of this global movement. What worries us is that, thus far, the employers coming forward to participate in the trial here next year, which obviously will be part of an international trial, are confined to the private sector. For this to be balanced, it needs to include not just private sector companies but some public sector organisations and the voluntary sector. I have written to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy McGrath, as has Four Day Week Ireland, seeking to engage to ensure we get some level of participation by the public sector in the trial. In the context of the voluntary sector, we have a worry the current requirement for contracts with the State to be on an hourly basis rather than being based on output is a complete disincentive to its involvement in the trial. If we come at this from the point of view of trying to ensure we research this to get the best evidence possible to go forward, then we do need to spread this across the whole economy.

IBEC stated it would be wrong to impose this. Nobody is talking about imposition. That should be clear. What we want to do is develop this idea, embed it, demonstrate it can work and then, in the medium to longer term, try to leverage not just the economic benefits but the social and ecological benefits too. The Senator's question regarding the public sector is relevant and a matter in respect of which this committee and politicians generally could be very helpful.