Today in Cork city and county, workers who provide key community services at the Irish Wheelchair Association, EmployAbility and St. Joseph's Foundation are striking for one day. These are section 39 workers, most of whom have not received a pay increase in 14 years. These workers are demanding a pay increase and restoration of the link with public sector pay. In so doing, they are acting to defend services which have been undermined by stagnant pay rates and which face a crisis of recruitment and retention. Tomorrow, strikes will take place in the west of Ireland and, on Friday, in both Cork and Kerry. All in all, 1,000 workers will be included in the action. The Minister cannot credibly pass the buck to the direct employers. These are section 39 health and social care workers and the State has a responsibility to provide sufficient funding to allow for decent pay increases. Will the Minister make provision for that funding in the budget next week or will he be stubborn and bloody-minded, and provoke the escalation of this action, which nobody wants?

First, I acknowledge the important, critical and great work that everyone in the section 39 organisations does. I recognise the example of their critical role in that even in this period of strife, their union representatives, as I understand, are looking to ensure essential services continue and that they minimise the impact on service users and their families. Such an impact is not their intent in any way. There is a real issue regarding these workers' pay and structural arrangements and how they are organised. One thing that is clear is that, in the current environment, the Government is not the direct employer. Their employers are separate entities that have responsibility legally and in every other way for these matters. They are not included within the Building Momentum agreement. That does not mean we do not think they should have similar rights, pay and other conditions to workers who are doing similar work. That is an issue they will have to address through the employment and labour organisations of the State. It is something over which we do not and cannot have direct control.