Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Consider those who must drive through the night in pursuit of dangerous criminals, for example. As the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice and Equality and I know, this happens up and down and across the Border on many occasions in the middle of the night, and the officers in question put their lives at risk. They are in a different category. Let us not pretend they are not and that they are somehow similar to others. They are not, and that is why there was premium pay for people in such circumstances from day one. What about officers on the streets at 3 a.m. trying to deal with antisocial behaviour? They are different.

Consider the role of paramedics and emergency medical technicians who must perform emergency services at 2 a.m. or 6 a.m. That has to be done. They are not all the same and we need to acknowledge that. That is the fundamental point we need to acknowledge. I do not buy the divide and conquer approach and the attempt to single out and target emergency workers for what is an unfair and a disproportionate hit on their incomes. That is the core point here.

To date in this crisis, no individual has been asked to take a hit of €320 per month. Every individual, irrespective of where he or she is on the scale, has obligations, mortgages and so on. On previous occasions, it was across the board and no one was asked to take a hit of €320 per month or, for that matter, €200 per month. That is the point I am making.

The Minister for Justice and Equality is very clear that there is not low morale in the Garda but I am glad the Taoiseach acknowledged that there is. We are just listening to people on the ground and I put it to the Taoiseach that there is a problem with emergency workers. I am not making this up. I have been meeting all of them in the context of these talks.

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