Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We all accept that clear amounts have been calculated but people will ask us for a breakdown of the figures so we need more information. I sought figures and information under the A4 subhead and I stress I do not want to see names. I do not think anyone could suggest that we would ever seek names but I want to see the lump sums of over €100,000. If there were any such lump sums, how many were there? I want the list of the ten highest lump sums to go in descending order and I also want a list of the ten lowest. We need to get a feel for what the highest and lowest amounts were, though I am sure there are far more people at the lower end. People would like to know how many people received over €100,000 and what the ten highest figures were so these are the specific details we request.

My next question relates to pensions, superannuation allowances, the Haddington Road agreement and so on. In 2013 the Haddington Road agreement placed a reduction on pensions of over €32,500 and the level of this reduction was half of what applied to those on pensions of over €65,000. This question relates to the overall superannuation Vote. How many retired public servants were affected by the pension reduction and what savings were made? In other words, how many people were affected by the cap of €32,500 and what savings did the cap achieve in 2014? Again, I do not seek names but I want a list of the ten people most affected by this measure. This might help us empathise with those who suffered most. We have discussed these matters under the A4 subhead and the main A1 subhead, though only a small Supplementary Estimate in the region of €316,000 applies to the latter.

My questions so far address pensions and the impact of the Haddington Road agreement. Perhaps I am the sort of halfwit or dimwit that was mentioned earlier but I wish to clarify that the A5 subhead mostly deals with unestablished officers and the A4 subhead relates to established officers. Can the Minister explain the difference for the halfwits out there? The figures today show €27 million for established civil servants under the A4 subhead and a requirement for an extra €3 million for unestablished officers. Can the Minister explain this for the public, if not for my benefit?