Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

We dealt with this matter on the last Question Time. Today's question relates to pension provisions. I do not believe there is any profit in going over the same ground again; suffice to say that the former bonus arrangement was treated as remuneration for the purposes of a particular grade that was benchmarked. If the bonus were withdrawn from this grade, it would have had a greater reduction in salary than a grade senior to them. It must be also pointed out that when benchmarked, their salaries were already at an international norm and were not significantly in breach of any of them. The Deputy referred to them being in my Department. They are in many other Departments, as well as local authorities, the Health Service Executive, the Defence Forces and the Garda Síochána.

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