Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 4, line 13, before "does" to insert the following:

", subject to the right of any of the following persons to notify the Minister that the person's remuneration should be treated as if the person were a public servant within the meaning of this Act,".

It is a relief to move to the very highest paid in the land. They are the kind of people with which the Minister of State is familiar and he will be much happier discussing them. They are our distinguished judges - the members of the Judiciary - and so on. Nobody could say this group of people are not very highly paid. As the McCarthy report pointed out, not only are they highly paid but, because of their intense brain power, they accumulate a pension at a speed which does not apply anywhere else in Ireland.

They are well-paid and well-apportioned. I understand they have what is, as I understand the term, "tip staff" working for them as personal assistants in and out of court who will be paying the full 5%. In courts all around the country presiding judges will be sitting in front of courtrooms with people such as gardaí coming in to give evidence and public servants who record and facilitate the proceedings of courts. All of those who are not on the judicial benches will be taking the cuts in full. Not all cleaning is contracted out. Fianna Fáil may have thought the situation was different, but cleaners are still directly employed by some parts of the public service.

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