Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sure that, in calling for prudent thinking and vowing not to allow the State go down the tubes and be imperilled in the way it was before, the Minister recognises that it was not working people who created that fiasco and calamity in the public sector and, for that matter, in the private sector.

The Minister says he envisages talks with the unions after the first quarter returns have become available to him. Can he be more specific? Does that mean he envisages entering into talks with them at the end of March or in April? Perhaps he could be a bit clearer on that.

The Minster talks about a wind-down of FEMPI. At what pace or in how many phases does he envisage this phased process? In a previous answer to Deputy Collins, the Minister referred to lifting the embargo, greater recruitment and flexibility in terms of the pay and conditions of new recruits, so he could have one person on a particular pay rate or two people on different pay rates.

I presume such issues and flexibilities, as the Minister would describe them, would be the subject of negotiations with the unions also.

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