Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)

Could the Minister help me in my work? How can the Judiciary be exempt when lower paid public servants who are contacting all of us in this House are being penalised in this Bill? For example, I received over 100 signatures today from ordinary paid workers in the Department of Defence in Renmore, in my own parish, who cannot understand why they are being penalised while higher paid servants like the Judiciary and others seem to be exempt? I ask the Minister if he could help me in replying to the representation I am getting on this issue. I was asked to give the signatures to the Minister, which I will do after the debate, and express their concern and disgust with the penalty the Government is imposing on them. I refer principally to those 100 employees in my own locality who work in the Department of Defence in Renmore.

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