Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I did not contradict myself at all, I actually corrected the record. I know the Deputy is perfect and that is the way it is but I am not perfect and I corrected the record in parliamentary questions earlier this year when I said it went to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. As the Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform advised the Deputy in a reply to a parliamentary question on 24 January 2019: "The submission to the Public Service Pay Commission in respect of the Defence Forces was compiled on a collaborative basis between the management side parties in order to provide the Commission with accurate and complete material so as to assist it in its examination of recruitment and retention issues in the Defence Forces." When the submission was originally made to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform then went back and forward and had dialogue with civil and military management on the submission. They drilled down into it and looked for more evidence based statistics. Both my Department and military management worked on that over a number of months before concluding the final submission in December 2018. I know that the Public Service Pay Commission is still in contact with Defence Forces' members.

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