Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her Private Members' Bill to which the Government will give due consideration when the matter comes before the House. I want to be honest, we will look at any and every proposal that is made. As the Deputy rightly said the great majority of public service pensioners are on very modest pensions. She asked the number on pensions of €10,000 or less. I understand the number is about 7,000 who have a very modest pension. We are all conscious of large pensions and exits upon which people leave the public sector. That is why the Government has taken the decision to increase the amount of rebate for people over €100,000, added to the amount of additional taxation and the levies that have been imposed and the reductions in pay at the top within the public sector. I have made the point to Deputy McDonald previously that this is something for which people internationally have regard. On the issue of pay and pensions, there is no point in separating them as they amount to the same amount of money coming from the revenue stream. Three years ago, the totality of public sector pay and pensions was about €20 billion. Now, if one adds up public sector pay and pensions - pensions have increased but pay has come done because of all the measures that have been introduced - they amount to €17.5 billion. Over a three year period €2.5 billion has been taken out of the total public sector pay and pension bill, in circumstances where not one day of industrial action has been lost.