Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

This applies to middle-ranking public servants. Under a previous pay agreement there is a certain pay bill aggregate for those grades. As part of that pay award at the time, back in 1994, in some instances it was incorporated into the full pay bill. In other words, part of the full pay bill of that grade was incorporated as part of their pay rate. In other instances in the Department of Finance, 1% of total pay in that grade was used as a means of doing so.

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