Workers in disability and GP out-of-hours services are among the hardest working healthcare professionals in this State. Without their commitment, so many of the services relied upon by so many simply would not exist, yet these workers are being paid less than their public sector counterparts for doing exactly the same work. They are being paid not marginally less but by 15% or more. In October 2023, through the WRC, the Government recognised workers in the sector were underpaid and it committed at that time to fully dealing with the issue. We are now more than a year later and there is still no resolution. We know talks broke down late last year because it became clear that the negotiating team on the Government's side was not given a mandate to actually implement the WRC agreement and deliver pay parity. There is a commitment in both the election manifestos of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to deliver pay parity. The programme for Government does not mention section 39 organisations or pay parity at all.

Will the Tánaiste mandate the Department's officials to implement the WRC agreement in full? Will he deliver the pay parity for these section 39 workers?

Yes, we will provide that mandate. Deputy Kerrane is right to highlight this issue. These health and social care workers and others carry out an invaluable service. Our health, social care and disability services are so reliant on it. I would point out that we have made several advanced steps on this issue, including the October 2023 agreement the Deputy referenced. State agencies have worked with service providers to administer the associated pay funding adjustments. The Government offered a further 8.5% increase in funding for pay. Added to the increase in October 2023, it would have provided a minimum increase of 16.5% in pay funding over a period of three-and-a-half-year if agreement had been possible. Ministers will now be seeking an early opportunity to restart engagement with unions and employers through the Workplace Relations Commission to provide certainty and progress to the sector as soon as possible.