I wish to address IBEC on the issue of public service pay. Taking into account the increase in numbers last year, public service pay increased by 10%. While the following figures do not compare like with like with complete precision, figures from the CSO on average industrial earnings show they increased by 9.2% between June 2002 and June 2003. If one removes from the equation the number of additional numbers recruited in the public service last year, I calculate that average public sector pay, including benchmarking and general wage increases, rose by 6%. According to these figures, therefore, the notion that the public service is getting more than the private sector does not appear to have any basis.