On my behalf and that of my family, I offer my condolences to the family of Mervyn Taylor, and to his friends, colleagues and comrades in the Labour Party.

The starting salary for a secretarial assistant is €24,423.37 per annum. I will save the Tánaiste the trouble of working it out; that is below the living wage. As he knows, secretarial assistants are engaged in conciliation at the Workplace Relations Commission. They are growing increasingly frustrated. This issue has been on the go since 2017. Will the Tánaiste engage with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, and request that he sends officials with decision-making powers to the next conciliation conference in order that this matter can be brought to a close? I remind the Tánaiste that secretarial assistants do fantastic work and enjoy the full support of all politicians and parties, right across this House. We want to see this issue resolved as a matter of priority.

All of us in the House value the work of secretarial assistants. That is true on a cross-party basis. I will certainly mention to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform that Deputy O'Reilly raised the matter and I will pass on the request she has made. I am not sure to what extent it is an issue for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission more than the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I believe the commission is the employer but I will check that with the Minister.