Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

What I can commit to is that the Government will do all it can to reach agreement. There are significant discussions under way and I am describing them as exploratory in nature. As the Deputy knows from experience, the way these things work is that if the parties feel there is a possible landing zone, they will enter into a more formal set of negotiations. I hope we can get there quite quickly. The current agreement expires at the end of the year. We need to strike a balance in this. We must recognise the immense value of the work of our public servants, and I echo the Deputy's comments in that regard. However, there is also an economic reality and a difficult backdrop that we are all living with. That has clearly impacted on the economy and our public finances. There is, however, real value in having a deal. The public service pay bill for next year of close to €22 billion amounts to approximately 30% of overall expenditure. I want to achieve an agreement and I hope one can be achieved in the weeks ahead.

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