Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

I am getting the same vibes as Senator Healy Eames, which is that a small minority of teachers have stated they certainly should forgo the scheduled increases. I have told them this should not apply simply to teachers but throughout the public service. I agree with Fine Gael in respect of a pay pause for two years in the public service. However, this will not be sufficient. Senator O'Toole observed the benchmarking process was akin to taking money from an ATM machine. He could have added, but did not, that the taxpayers' PIN number was being used. This money must be given back to the taxpayer.