Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Amendments Nos. 28 and 29 are grouped for discussion purposes.

I welcome the Minister back to the Chamber. I know he was otherwise detained earlier today.

I have said most of what I have to say on this amendment. It deals with fast accrual pensions and mostly affects the boys in uniform - prison officers, gardaí and members of the Defence Forces and fire brigades - about whom the Minister spoke so nicely during the debate on Committee Stage.

Prison officers' representatives in the Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union, SIPTU, and the Civil Public and Services Union, CPSU, are saying one thing to public representatives and the Minister is saying something slightly different. It was indicated before the sos that the Minister recently wrote to the respective unions setting out the case and had not had a reply to that letter. Will the Minister provide Opposition spokespeople with copies of his letter so that we understand the context? We were not aware of the letter and it would be helpful to see it. We are debating the issue slightly on the blind side, not being aware of the correspondence. It would be helpful if we could see copies of it.

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