Mr. Conor O'Brien:

It can be but less so. The biggest issue with salaries is at the lower level of grade IIIs but it can also happen at higher levels. The more specialised a person becomes then the more in-demand his or her skills. We try to compete at all levels. There are a lot of attractions to working in the public service in terms of the other things we can offer such as leave, flexible working, etc., which are all very good benefits that attract people but salary is the baseline.