Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)

He wanted us to breach it. He said we should not pay benchmarking, which would be a clear breach of Sustaining Progress. Partnership has served the country well over the years and the Government is committed to honouring its pay commitments, provided the conditions in the agreement are met. We cannot prejudge the outcome of the performance verification process, the first round of which is currently taking place. Public service pay accounts for approximately one third of all public spending. If we wish to attract good quality public servants we must pay rates reasonably comparable to the private sector. This is a fact of life.