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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 97 together.

The Deputy made a very good point. In the current agreement we provided for a sectoral bargaining fund. For example, on 1 February there was the option of taking the flat 1% increase or putting that into a sectoral bargaining fund. The public service was divided up into a large number of sectoral bargaining units and there have been examples where that fund was used to address specific targeted issues in individual sectors. There are still some ongoing negotiations, for example, in health, where it has not been fully settled. I have no doubt that the outstanding issues will form part of the discussions that are currently under way at the WRC.

The question of whether we have a mechanism in the future for addressing sector-specific issues is one that is under consideration at the talks.

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