Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The independent review panel on senior public service recruitment and pay processes recently delivered its final report to the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. That fundamentally puts the ball in the court of the Government in terms of deciding whether top civil servants - Mr. Watt is on close to €300,000, others are on €200,000 and some are in between - will get big pay increases of 10% to 15%. Has the Government discussed the outcome of that? Has the Government discussed the idea of these very significant pay increases which are being spoken about? Would the Taoiseach not agree that at a time of the cost-of-living crisis we should be imposing pay caps across the public sector? There is no need for anyone to be paid more than €100,000.

One particular issue I want to raise is that there has been an ongoing dispute, as I understand, in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding the pay of its Secretary General. He claims that on moving from his position as Secretary General of the Department of Transport to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, he was promised he would be bumped up a grade from Secretary General grade II to Secretary General grade I, which comes with a substantial pay increase from around €235,000 a year to €250,000 a year.

It is being disputed by others as to whether such an agreement was in place. In the press statement that the Department put out, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is quoted as saying: "I have requested the Independent Review Panel to remain in place for the coming weeks to undertake a review of the grading of the Secretary General posts in the Departments of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; and Housing, Local Government & Heritage within the existing structure." My reading of this is that it is paving the way to agree to a pay increase in grading. Is that the case and, if so, how can it be justified?

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