David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

The Minister will accept that it would be difficult to have a discussion on this issue and not deal with what is a sore point for many people. The Minister has given his reason that the legislation can take prospective effect only because of the legal rights of people. I accept the Minister at his word, but we would like to have the matter tested. That is the reason we tabled the amendments.

I made a somewhat related point to which I ask the Minister to respond. It is still current practice that some people who are in top jobs, such as senior civil servants and city and county managers have been given more generous pension packages that includes a lump sum and pension to allow them to retire from the public service to enable the State to save money and yet some of them are being re-employed within the public service as consultants to Departments or semi State bodies? That must be seen as wrong. That is an issue that must be addressed by Government. While this is not strictly related to the amendment tabled, it must be addressed. I would like to hear the Minister's views on that issue.