The Minister made reference to the voluntary redundancy scheme which is being offered to the staff of An Foras Forbartha but can he tell the House whether the discrepancy between the terms of that scheme and the other schemes offered to the public service generally has been addressed and whether that scheme has now been brought into line with the offers being made to the rest of the public service?

Some have taken up the redundancy package — I think 21 — and so far as I can remember 25 others have indicated that they are interested in doing so. There will be a need for redeployment.

The question I asked was totally different. The Minister is probably aware that the terms of the scheme being offered to the people in An Foras Forbartha, because of the fact that they pay full PRSI, is substantially different and not as attractive as similar schemes offered to people in other public service type employment. There is a need for this scheme to be amended to make it comparable with the wider public service scheme. Can the Minister say if that question has been addressed and resolved?

Yes, it has been addressed. That question and the question about salary scales attached to individual members of An Foras Forbartha who will be transferred to the ERU, about the grades they are working at in the AFF and the changes that will be necessitated by their transfer to this new arrangement have been discussed with the unions. So far as a settlement is concerned, I am very pleased, from what transpired at our last meeting, that we will have an arrangement with the unions that will be to everybody's satisfaction. It was a very fruitful meeting.

So I heard.

It will be interesting to see how the environmental connoisseurs get on.

As always Deputy Quinn is fully briefed on these matters and I think he realises that I was forthcoming and that the meeting was successful.

You were.

Five more unlikely fellows to go out and market their wares in the private sector I could not picture.