Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I am not here to argue about the two systems. The review body dealing with pay for higher public servants and politicians, members of the Judiciary, those in local authorities and semi-state companies was established in 1969. No Government since then nor any of the affiliated groups has seen the need to change that. At the time people such as politicians, members of the Judiciary and senior people were considered to be managers somebody other than themselves, an outside body, was needed to examine the pay of the 1,600 people involved. The benchmarking process emanated from what was total dissatisfaction by the representatives of organised labour and of Government with the system of relativities. It was regarded as a poor system that created significant anomalies and industrial unrest. A better system was called for and the benchmarking system was invented as a result.

I remind Deputy Gilmore that his argument is precisely the argument made by Deputy Kenny against the system at the time. According to many, including Deputy Kenny who was not speaking for himself either, the first benchmarking report which was based on a comparable examination between the public and the private sectors awarded astronomical increases in the public sector, with an average increase of 9%. The increase, which ranged from 9% to 27%, was applied across all grades. It was seen as a gravy train for the public service. This time the increases have not been so large because the tightness in the labour market which was allowed for in the comparable study in 1999 was very different from that existing in 2007. The increases are smaller this time. That is a how the cookie crumbles. Those who set the rules must play the game by them.

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