Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am absolutely astonished, given our 20-year liability, that a risk assessment has not been done. Perhaps it is something that should be considered. The Minister mentioned performance budgeting in his opening statement and referred to the need to manage public sector pay. The Public Service Stability Agreement, PSSA, rules on lateral movements within the public service stipulate that lateral redeployments within the civil and public service should not attract additional salary increases. If, for example, a nurse moves from Beaumont Hospital to St. Vincent's Hospital while remaining at the same grade, there is no automatic salary increase. We are all aware of the anger and frustration surrounding the proposed increase of €81,000 for the Secretary General of the Department of Health. If it turns out that a Secretary General undertakes a lateral move to the Department of Health on a permanent basis, I ask the Minister to assure us that such a move will adhere to the PSSA rules on redeployment and will not attract an unnecessary and exorbitant salary increase.