Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Those who received payments under 5.5% in the review body recommendation were paid that amount in September 2007. Those whom it was recommended should be paid more received 5% in September 2007. There was a proposal that they would get another 5% in September 2008 and the remainder in September 2009. The Government made a decision early this year to defer that for a further year so the second increment for those who got a first increment in 2007 would be due in September 2009.

We have deferred the whole thing and said that there will be no payments for anybody still awaiting some form of payment until September 2010 when a Government decision will be needed to see whether it will be activated in any way in the future.

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