Tomorrow, school secretaries and caretakers represented by the Fórsa trade union will return to talks at the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, regarding pay and pension arrangements for grant-funded positions. These protracted talks continue despite the Tánaiste stating in this Chamber in the first months of the Government that it was the objective of the Government to regularise employment terms, conditions and pension rights for school secretaries. I expect I will get the stock reply about letting the process run its course, but the stumbling block to a settlement is the obvious intransigence on the part of the two Ministers involved in the talks. Will the Taoiseach appeal to the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy McGrath, directly to settle this now along the lines contained in the Fianna Fail election manifesto which stated that it is manifestly unfair that two people doing the same job with the same qualifications and to the same standard should be on vastly different wages? Alternatively, does he endorse the continued delay which is characteristic of the Ministers who are captured by the Departments they supposedly lead?

First, I assure the Deputy that the Minister, Deputy Foley, wants this resolved and is anxious and supportive of the talks process. The Minister, Deputy McGrath, wants it resolved also. Both of them have given this considerable momentum since the formation of the Government. As I said to the Deputy or another Member who raised the issue last week, there have been intensive discussions at the WRC from September of last year. Progress was made. The Department has moved to shift the pay rates of school secretaries to a scale that is aligned with the clerical officer grade 3 pay scale on a pro rata basis according to a secretary's current working pattern. The Department has also offered to improve the conditions for school secretaries with regard to sick leave, annual leave and maternity provisions. Further dialogue continues to take place. There was a meeting on 26 January and there is a further meeting tomorrow that is the result of the last meeting and reflections on that. I hope we can get this sorted.