Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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That is the crux of it, but that process is being facilitated by this arrangement. That is the contract that was signed for the last five-year term and now we are going back into a retendering process that is open. These people whom collectively we have great respect for do not know on a Monday if they are working on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. That is not sustainable. The bit I would really like to get to, notwithstanding Mr. McKeon's point that external expertise is needed, I would buy that if this was a one-off project, but it is not. This is something we know are going to have a consistent need for. We have to raise real question marks over this. Has the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation been involved in developing this framework as to whether it is value for money? There are question marks over the nature of it, jumping from 12 full-time staff to 37 full-time staff. I think that is disproportionate then in portraying the ultimate cost to the taxpayer while standing over practices that would call into question issues like dignity in the workplace, the ability to apply for mortgages or start a family. This is reality for them. Going back to my first question, does Mr. Finnegan have the power, notwithstanding the procurement process, to press pause on this right now and to ensure that before we sign any new contract, we prioritise the future of these workers?