Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

One matter that has stuck in people's craws is the method by which this recommendation has been accepted by the Government. The Economist recently produced a table showing that the Taoiseach is the highest paid Head of Government position in the western world. It is higher paid than that of the offices of the US President, the German Chancellor and the British Prime Minister. For a country with a population of 4.5 million, people are asking why the Government could take on these pay recommendations, particularly when there are concerns about the economy, loss and lack of confidence in it and pension provisions.

What positions in the private sector were those of Ministers compared to for these massive increases of €36,000 to €38,000? I admit they will not be accepted until 2010. However, how was a comparison arrived at that makes the Taoiseach the highest paid political leader in the western world and all his Ministers behind him accepting a €38,000 pay increase when workers are being asked to tighten their belts? Is it because the Cabinet has become so far removed from what is happening on the street?

The nurses had two serious issues prior to the general election concerning a percentage pay increase and a shorter working week. They were told the benchmarking process would deal with them. When they entered the benchmarking process, they were informed it could not deal with these issues.

The Taoiseach has set up a position where the next pay talks will be very controversial and difficult. Benchmarking, supposed to be the panacea for the nurses' particular problems, did not turn out that way. Despite the publicity of putting the increases aside until 2009 or whenever, the Cabinet has accepted these pay increases without any performance-related audit.

The other night on national television, the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Devins, admitted he did not know how much money was allocated to the HSE for mental health care and was not in a position to get answers from it concerning this. Only recently, there was an unfortunate tragedy in which a young man was stabbed 80 times by a person who on three occasions sought and could not get admission to a psychiatric hospital. Due to a debate on a national radio programme, a person put up €100,000 for an operation for a young girl from County Cork, despite the existence of the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

What comparator was used to recommend the pay for the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Ministers increase by €36,000 to €38,000? Why was no performance audit built into these increases? Will the Taoiseach accept that by trying to get away with this, the next round of pay talks will be exceptionally difficult?

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