Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is the intention. I have spoken to some of the serving personnel in this category and have asked them to be honest with me about their concerns. I have told them I will do everything I can to provide as much certainty for them as early as I can. I have effectively set myself the date for doing this as the end of the year. We will do it earlier if we can, as I said in the Seanad. If we can do it in the next few weeks, that is great. However, Deputy Howlin knows better than most in this House how the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform works. It has a job to do as well. We can get agreement. I expect no big surprise from the recommendations of that Department but we must go through the appropriate processes and ensure we have taken account of the financial consequences of whatever decision we make. I am confident we can provide clarity on this issue before the end of the year and I will do it as soon as we can. The people affected by the decision deserve to be able to plan for the future with the maximum possible lead-in time.

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