Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Subsection 6A(7). Every nurse, teacher and member of An Garda Síochána on the mid point of their pay scale will gain an additional €2,000 per annum as a result of this Bill. Those at the new entrance grade, including new entrants to nursing and An Garda Síochána, will gain that amount plus another €200. I think that is the right thing to do. I have used this legislation to address another issue also, namely, the anomaly in terms of the reduction of entrance grade, which has been addressed on a sector by sector basis in different ways, including by way of amalgamation of grades, a reduction in points of increment and so on. The Bill is structured in a manner which ensures fairness and a focus on low and middle income earners in the first instance, while remaining mindful that everybody is entitled to pay restoration. This is emergency legislation that ultimately will have to be unwound. I wanted to do this in a way that is affordable and does not result in another catastrophic impact on the Irish economy.