Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Amendments Nos. 28 and 29 deal with the issue of uniformed workers working on behalf of the State, specifically members of the Garda Síochána, the Permanent Defence Forces, prison officers and specified fire brigade employees. These are people in uniform who deal with emergency and other security services. Everybody knows they have a difficult task to do, which is getting more difficult as the years progress.

It is important we listen carefully to what these workers have said. Recently we have met with and had correspondence from the Prison Officers' Association and from the public administration and community division of SIPTU. We have received further correspondence from them in the past few days and they are still not happy with the current situation with regard to this issue. We raised this matter extensively on Committee Stage and I was quite surprised by how hostile the Minister, Deputy Howlin, was. The essence of what he said was that these people have a bloody great pension and they are looking for a better one again. I was surprised by his tone.

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