Arising from the Minister's reference to revised pay proposals, can he confirm that the statement on radio the other day by a prominent trade union leader that this would be likely to give rise to 20 per cent increases in pay rates is correct? What would the Minister estimate what the increase in earnings will be, allowing for drift?

That is a separate question.

I have not heard the remarks to which the Deputy refers so I cannot offer any detailed comments, but I do not see how anyone could arrive at increases of 20 per cent in pay rates because, on an annualised basis, the terms of the proposed pay arrangements suggest increases in the region of 13-13½ per cent.

I appreciate the Minister may not have heard the remarks made by Mr. Carroll of the ITGWU but he gave figures for different levels of pay, and for most of those levels, up to about £100 a week, the increases would be 20 per cent or slightly higher because of provision for indexation. If that is the case what increase in earnings would be likely to arise, allowing for drifting?

It seems that there must have been some built-in assumption about the likely rate of inflation.

Perhaps a realistic one instead of the kind the Minister is introducing.

There are questions which will touch on the inflation rate. If the Deputy wants to debate the realism we will take it at that point.