Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The last question, a key one, is pay restoration. It is clear now when one considers the teachers and the gardaí that workers will not wait for the pay restoration schedule planned by the Government. We are talking about workers who suffered because of the crisis and who, under pressure, agreed - I would not say volunteered - to give up pay. Now they hear all the talk about the recovery. They know the Government fights for Apple to keep its €13 billion, or rather our €13 billion, and they say they want to see recovery and a raise. How much would it cost to restore pay to all public servants in budget 2017, for example, and why would the Government not do that?