Joe O'Toole (Independent)

All those things are quite in order; that is not the issue. The Minister said not five minutes ago that a person re-entering the public service would not have the same contract. This prompted me to ask whether the person returning to employment would have a different contract. If it is the same contract, is the person still under contract? I do not know what goes on in the Passport Office either; I referred to it because it is the example the Minister gave. The Minister said that because these people were employed in the Passport Office last year they will not be considered new entrants if they come back. Are they under contract at the moment or will they return under a new contract? To use the Minister's own words, he has been dealing with the law long enough to know there does not have to be a piece of paper in a box marked "Contracts." The contract need not even be signed, or even implied. It can be a real contract without being written or signed. Is there a contract?