Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

These are all excellent questions which I will be in a position to answer a little later in relation to the duration of the wage agreement, the issues that will be covered off within it and the policy matters that will be included within it.

To touch on some of the answers I can give at this point, first, I hope to be in a position to engage through my officials with the public sector bodies in the coming weeks in relation to a successor to Building Momentum because I believe that these wage agreements, over many years now, have provided a really important framework for stability in relation to wages and industrial relations within our country that has served us well. I will make every effort to reach agreement and do so in a way that is appropriate and delivers good value for the taxpayer.

On the specific question, which is on performance reviews, every agreement since 2010 has acknowledged the importance of performance management to public service reform and modernisation. In the Croke Park Agreement, the parties committed to significantly improve performance management across the public service. Successive agreements since then have continued to build on this and have strengthened the performance management system within our civil and public service. That has led to the system in place at the moment, namely the performance management and development system, PMDS, which I think has played a meaningful role in allowing staff and managers to align the needs of our public service overall with individual performance.

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