Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the Deputy's first question as to whether this work was done in advance of the Public Service Pay Commission and this process beginning, it was done in advance of it, but it would be fair to say that it was not commissioned for it. This was work that we had under way and it has informed what we are doing.

Regarding the Deputy's second question about what we have tabled, we have discussed proposals on pensions. There has been some comment about that publicly and in the media. I have to respect the fact that these negotiations are happening inside the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and they form an integral part of people's compensation overall. We will table other proposals as the process moves forward.

In terms of when I believe the process will end, it is a difficult enough process without me setting deadlines to which the Deputy will then hold me accountable. I am more focused on seeing if we can get an outcome that I can recommend to Government and in the context of next year's budget rather than a particular deadline which I may or may not be able to hit.

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