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

As I hope the Deputy knows, we have gone through a process and there was a formal review in regard to this issue. That report came to me. I am satisfied that it is a good report. It has also been shared with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which has a role to play in terms of the cost implications and pension implications of the recommendations. We need to go through the process to finalise a decision for Government on this issue. I want to do that as soon as we possibly can because I know there are many people waiting, as are their families, to get clarity and certainty in terms of their future careers. As I said, I have given a commitment quite directly to those people that we would have clarity for them, I hope, before the end of the year but I am not the only person who controls this timeline.

The Deputy can ask me for absolute certainty if he wants to but I will not mislead anybody. It is my intention to have a decision on this before the end of the year and I am working with another Department that has a role to play and a job to do, and we have to respect that. I am hopeful that we can follow through on the commitment we made about providing clarity by the end of the year. That would be a good outcome.

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