The employer submission to the Pay Commission, as was the case in similar submissions, was made on a collaborative basis between the management side parties and included extensive inputs from the Department of Defence and the Military Authorities. It is longstanding practice that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (and before it the Department of Finance) represents the public service as employer. The Department has the responsibility for co-ordinating, articulating and submitting the employer case in such matters on behalf of Government as employer. This is essential to ensure consistency and coherence in approach and the balancing of important broader public service wide policy and fiscal considerations.