Good morning colleagues,

A plenary meeting of the ICTU’s Public Services Committee (PSC) negotiating group and representatives of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is scheduled to take place this afternoon. New entrants pay is set to be on the agenda. More news on that as it develops today.

On Saturday, the Irish Times front page reported Pay to be restored for up to 60,000 public sector workers.

Elsewhere, there’s continuing angst among opposition parties and the NBRU about the BusConnects proposals, the transport policy that has nothing to do with the Minister for Transport(!).

The National Museum and the National Gallery are among several State agencies coming under scrutiny for hiring unpaid interns. The trend favours young people from more affluent backgrounds, raining concerns that young people, in particular from poorer backgrounds, are being “locked out” of Irish cultural bodies.

An Post is to enter the Irish mortgage market next year with interest rates which are substantially lower than those currently available, while it’s reported that Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy has admitted that a Government plan for 3,500 social homes has delivered just 15 countrywide.

Meanwhile, as Fórsa continues to raise its concerns on fire safety standards with the minister, fire safety works have yet to be carried out on at least 19 high and medium-rise buildings in Ireland identified as at risk after a review ordered in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

As the race for the Áras gets underway, the Irish Times reports that the State’s top civil servant, Martin Fraser, will appear before the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee for its (potentially unconstitutional) examination of spending in the President’s office.

Your Zen this morning comes from Irish comedy ensemble Foil, Arms and Hog, who concluded their Dublin Fringe Festival run of Craicling last night just around the corner from Nerney’s Court. A very funny show.

This earlier sketch has become a particular favourite of my son Fintan, who recently started secondary school. I can’t think why.