Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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131. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when he will make a decision on the recommendations made in a report (details supplied) on the pay and conditions of secretarial assistants in the Houses of the Oireachtas. [48933/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, a claim by SIPTU in respect of staff employed under the Scheme for Secretarial Assistance has been under consideration at the conciliation service of the Workplace Relations Commission. The staff in question are employed in the Houses of the Oireachtas by individual TDs and Senators. It was agreed to appoint a third party to conduct an independent review of the Secretarial Assistant grade in the Oireachtas Scheme for Secretarial Assistance and, as part of the terms of reference, to formulate proposals for my consideration.

I understand that the report referred to by the Deputy was considered and noted by the Oireachtas Commission at its meeting of 14 September 2022. The report was then sent to me on 28 September by the Ceann Comhairle in his role as Chairman of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission.

I intend to give this matter a complete and thorough review, and I will need time to consider the report's contents fully. Working together with my officials I will make my decision in due course.