Vol. 491 No. 3
243 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Finance whether PCW pay adjustments for persons employed under the secretarial assistance scheme for Oireachtas members, which are under negotiation, will be payable in relation to those employed under contract to members; whether buyout of service lump sums paid to persons will be adjusted to take account of retrospective PCW entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11989/98]
Negotiations are currently under way for an agreement under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work (PCW) in respect of staff employed under the secretarial assistance scheme in the Oireachtas who opted to retain their existing status under the Agreement reached under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission last year. The question of the application to secretarial assistants on contract of the terms of any settlement will be considered once the current negotiations have been finalised.
Staff who benefit from any increases under these negotiations and who also received payments under the "buy-out" arrangement in 1997 will, of course, have their "but-out" sums adjusted to take account of any retrospection which may be included in the PCW agreement.
