Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. I congratulate the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Tom Hayes, on his promotion. I suppose it will be the only medal Tipperary will get this year, but he might think differently about it.

The transfer of administrative staff will have a major impact on the people concerned. This goes back to the 45 km decision under the Croke Park agreement, which, I believe, was a disgraceful negotiation under which the leaders of the trade union movement were effectively compromising on the least well off in the public service. I have before me the payments to the public servants to which I referred. The net weekly pay for clerical staff is €487.20. Most of the people I know on that income are being redeployed. There is a round trip of 78 km per day or 400 km per week without any subsistence or any travel expenses going towards it. It is disgraceful that people on the lowest income in the public service, many of whom have mortgages, young families and houses in negative equity, to keep their jobs are compelled to travel that distance despite the losses and so forth.

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