Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

There has been a great deal of public comment in recent days about the fact that the 148 members of the Judiciary have been put in a position by a political decision of the Government that they be excluded from paying the pension levy. On what grounds did the Government make a political decision to exclude members of the Judiciary from having to pay a pension levy when approximately 300,000 other public servants have to pay the levy? Many of those public servants are now feeling real pain and difficulty and have to live on less than €100 per week after all the contributions have been made. What are the reasons for the Government exclusion of a particular sector of the public service, amounting to approximately 148 persons in all?

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