Mr. John O'Brien:

The only thing that is outstanding is the letter of sanction from the Department of Health to the HSE to pay. Everything else is in place; the Government decision and the sanction from the Department of Finance is there. Effectively, down the years, the sanction from the Department of Health in this type of situation is a rubber-stamp exercise. That is the only part that is missing. We have written to the HSE, which has said that the Department of Health sanction is not forthcoming. In the most recent letter from the Department, the Secretary General has refused to answer correspondence even though as late as about 18 months ago he said all would be reviewed once FEMPI was unwound. We followed that up with correspondence and there has been no response forthcoming. Instead, we have had correspondence from one of the people in HR in the Department of Health saying that sectoral bargaining would solve this or that we should go back to the industrial relations machinery. We have been through that machinery so we simply do not know. The HSE has set aside the money to pay for it so we simply do not know what it is being blocked.