Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

This week two of the Minister's Cabinet colleagues from Fine Gael called on the Government to breach its commitments under the Croke Park agreement. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, called for the suspension of pay increments in the same week as the Government yet again breached its own salary cap for the new chief executive of the VHI. The Tánaiste responded to the soundings from his Fine Gael colleagues by asking Ministers not to get out of bed expressing views on Croke Park or the budget every Monday morning. The Minister, Deputy Howlin, knows better than anyone that any attempt by the Government to withdraw increments will disproportionately hit low paid public servants and new entrants. I will set out the facts for him and, more important, his Fine Gael colleagues. Higher grades in the public service have a single pay point and increments do not apply. By contrast, a clerical officer on a starting salary of just over €20,000 would take 17 years and 13 increments to reach the maximum salary of €33,000. The Secretary General, however, enjoys a single pay point of €200,000.

Can the Minister clarify to the Dáil whether the payment of increments to public sector workers are covered and protected by the Croke Park agreement and guarantee that the Government will not breach its commitments and will protect the earning power and living standards of low and medium paid public servants?

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