John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I accept that we are coming from a low base. However, I ask the Deputy to bear in mind that the office was only recently established. The Government recognises the importance of the work of the office. It also accepts that we need to catch up quickly and that is what we are doing.

The first priority on the agenda of the cross-sectoral teams is how the issues should be resolved and how the required professional staff should be put in place. I ask the Deputy to give the office a 12-month settling down period. When we return with a proposal in September or October, we will clearly show how we intend to deal with the matter of recruitment. It must be remembered that there are industrial relations issues with which we must deal.

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