Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

I made it clear that exceptions could be made in cases where the people recruited specifically could show me that their income in the place from which they had left to join the public service on a temporary contract was greater. The people to whom the Deputy referred have, by and large, taken substantial pay cuts in order to move into the public service. I instanced my own adviser in this regard. I asked the latter to leave a full-time pensionable job and come to work for me for less money, no bonus and no job security. In addition, he lost his pension entitlements.

There is a populism relating to this matter, and we can play along with this. However, the end product will be that serious damage will be done in the context of our ability to encourage people of calibre to move into the public sphere and work in the recovery programme for our country. We must ensure that we have available people of the highest calibre to steer the ship of state at a time when it is in peril. I fully accept that there must be absolute solidarity in respect of these matters. That is why the Government has taken the unique step of introducing pay ceilings and a progressive taxation system. We will continue to refine both of these.

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