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

The difficulty we have with this is the massive costs relating to it that we outlined in response to the Private Members' motion from the Deputy's party. I have shared and indicated in the Dáil before that we estimate the potential cost to the State of this as being between €188 million and €347 million per annum. This is in addition to the call for the Exchequer to provide a lump sum payment for a pension, which, depending on the size of the settlement to those who look for it, could have a cost of up to €318 million.

Looking at the different points the Deputy has raised, such as why the minutes have not been approved, that is a matter for the forum and its participants. I agree that the minutes should be on the website and I will see what the difficulty is with it. Should the forum meet again, the challenge that we have is with the figures that I have shared with the Deputy. From all that I have learned about industrial relations in our public service, as the Deputy knows, and his party knew it when it was in Government which is why progress was not made on the matter, if the principle is accepted that the State has to be provide a pension for employees of an organisation, even if that organisation is not the State, the knock-on consequences of this are massive. That drives the figures I am sharing with the Deputy.

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