Ms Antoinette Cunningham:

The similarities between the Garda and the Defence Forces around recruitment and retention almost mirror one another at this regrettable stage. We are again calling for an independent pay review body for gardaí because RACO and PDFORRA have now become affiliated with the public services committee of ICTU, which is representing their interests in pay talks. We are a non-ICTU affiliate and remain outside of that sphere. There is a slight difference in the pay and conditions in that the Defence Forces' representative bodies have representation from ICTU. We believe that strengthens our case.

We do not have access to senior civil servants. We have an internal Garda conciliation process, which includes a representative from the Department. That representative has certainly not progressed issues out of that forum on behalf of AGSI. I can say that with certainty because I see items that are still on the agenda from 18 months ago and remained there because they have not been progressed.