Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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150. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has met the trade unions or employer organisations recently. [33012/17]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The primary point of contact with representatives of trade unions and employer organisations is through the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF). The LEEF meets  on a quarterly basis with Government represented by the then Minister for Finance, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation. Other Ministers attend depending on the issue and the Taoiseach chairs one meeting a year.

The last meeting was held on Thursday the 11th of May and focused on the then Minister for Social Protection's plans for pension reform. Also on the agenda was a standing update on the status of Brexit negotiations.

Outside of the formal structures of the LEEF, I meet a wide range of  interest groups on an ongoing basis. In this capacity, I met with ICTU on the 27th of April and IBEC on the 18th of January.