I start by condemning the brutal and savage attack at the main international airport in Istanbul which has left 36 people dead and scores more very badly injured. It is the latest in a series of attacks in Turkey and underlines the need for ongoing co-operation between member states of the European Union and their neighbours in dealing with the enormous threat to, and the vulnerability of, citizens as they go about their daily lives because of the actions of ISIS and other terrorist groups.

I am sure the Tánaiste will agree that serious and important issues are emerging in the public sector and the public service which have the potential to sap morale, hamper recruitment efforts and perpetuate inequality in the treatment of public servants in the context of their pay. Friday, 1 July, is fast approaching and the country could be facing some form of industrial action by members of An Garda Síochána because, as gardaí see it, there are still outstanding issues under the Haddington Road agreement. As the Tánaiste knows, the Garda Representative Association, GRA, signed up to the agreement. It was agreed at the time that there would be a review of Garda pay levels and the chairman of the review group, Mr. Ray McGee, formerly of the Workplace Relations Commission, was appointed. As that review was never completed, the GRA is fully convinced that the Haddington Road agreement was not implemented in full for them, as had been agreed, and that, therefore, gardaí should not be facing pay penalties by way of possible increment freezes from 1 July for not voting to accept the subsequent Lansdowne Road agreement. Newly qualified gardaí start on a salary of about €23,000 and it is impossible for them to afford to pay rent or mortgages. There are genuine grievances, but I think there is a mechanism within the industrial relations framework to resolve them. We ask the Tánaiste to confirm that gardaí will not face increment freezes.

In addition, teachers feel exceptionally aggrieved as they have had their qualification allowances cut and there is a very clear illustration of inequality in teachers' pay. Depending on whether one started as a teacher in 2010, 2011 or 2012, the difference over 40 years can be more than €100,000. In particular, removing the qualifications allowance in 2012 had a devastating impact on teachers' pay, with the honorary primary degree allowance of close to €5,000 being taken out in one fell swoop in 2011. There are, therefore, real issues and the INTO, the ASTI and other teacher unions have been bringing them to people's attention. We need to recruit the brightest and the best into the public service. In that regard, inequality is not acceptable. I ask the Tánaiste to confirm when the public service pay commission, as committed to, will be established to create a mechanism and a formula to deal with these vital issues.

I first join the Deputy in expressing my sympathy and that of the Government to the people of Turkey after the appalling terrorist attack at the international airport in Istanbul.

It was a vicious and indiscriminate attack which claimed more than 41 lives and left many people seriously injured. I agree with the Deputy that across Europe we need to reinforce our efforts against and combat the heightened threat posed by terrorists. The only way we can do this is by enhancing our collective collaboration and working at European level to take every initiative we can to deal with the terrorist threat. That means ever closer co-operation. As I told the House yesterday, I discussed this issue with the British Minister for Immigration and Security, Mr. James Brockenshire, MP, and we expressed our determination, in the first instance, to continue the very close co-operation between the United Kingdom and Ireland.

On the Deputy's points about public sector pay and the difficulties with a number of groups, including gardaí and teachers, we remain willing and available to engage with the Garda Representative Association, GRA, to find a resolution in the coming days. We want to take every possible initiative to come to an agreement such that people will remain within the Lansdowne Road agreement. Other unions have agreed to stay within it. I ask both organisations to reconsider and continue to engage in discussions in order that whatever obstacles remain to their rejoining the agreement can be dealt with. We remain willing and open to continuing that engagement. There have been good quality discussions with gardaí on a range of the issues that remain on the table. There are solutions, although there are some outstanding issues. We are appointing a new person to lead the discussions on the outstanding Haddington Road agreement issues that were not dealt with previously. We can still engage in discussions on how it can be taken forward to avoid the GRA withdrawing from the Lansdowne Road agreement. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform made it clear again yesterday that the Lansdowne Road agreement was essential and that we needed people to remain within it. Every effort will be made to deal with the current obstacles which the GRA considers are in place.

The Tánaiste did not address the situation of teachers. Will she confirm that gardaí will not be penalised from 1 July until talks take place on the outstanding elements of the Haddington Road agreement and how the agreement was to apply to them? Will she confirm that they will not face punitive measures from 1 July and that there are issues pertaining to the Haddington Road agreement that must be addressed? A person who started teaching in 2011 will earn €100,000 less than someone who started in 2010. A person who started teaching in 2012 will earn €227,000 less than someone who started in 2010. This issue must be addressed and dealt with. It is a growing issue. It is incomprehensible and cannot be allowed to continue. When will the public sector pay commission be established to deal with these anomalies in the pay of teachers and gardaí and the genuine grievances that are emerging, particularly among young gardaí and teachers but also other young people working in the public service?

The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, has invited ASTI to meet him. We want to avoid an increment freeze and every opportunity will be taken to deal with the outstanding issues. On entry levels of pay, very difficult decisions were taken in recent years and many people, including gardaí and teachers, were affected by them, given that they were subject to the same public service pay reductions as all other public servants.

Like other public servants, they have benefitted from some of the restorations introduced by the changes in the FEMPI legislation. The report on the FEMPI legislation will be laid before the House before tomorrow.

We commit to the establishment of a commission for public sector pay to examine pay levels across the public service, and this morning I inquired about its setting up. Officials in the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform are working to establish that commission. The background work is being done and the intention is to move ahead with it as soon as the background work is completed in the coming months.