Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 158 together.

Border duty allowance was introduced in January 1972 and is still in existence. It was introduced because of some activities going on in Northern Ireland with which Deputy Mac Lochlainn will be familiar. Border duty allowance is similar to security duty allowance which is payable to Defence Forces personnel engaged on extended security duties in non-Border areas, for example cash escorts. Persons in receipt of Border duty allowance do not receive security duty allowance.

The Department sought to cease payment of Border duty allowance under the modernisation agenda contained in the Towards 2016 defence sector action plan. Following disagreement between the Department and the representative associations this issue went to binding third party adjudication. The adjudicator found in favour of the association and ruled that the allowance should continue to be retained on a personal to holder basis for those personnel who were in receipt of it on 3 February 2009.

Accordingly Border duty allowance has been ceased for new entrants since February 2009, at which time there were 1,017 recipients. The allowance is being phased out as current holders retire or leave the Defence Forces and at the end of October 2012, 761 personnel were in receipt of the allowance.

As the Deputy is aware, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform undertook a review of allowances and premium payments across the public sector and proposals were brought to Government for decision. Further to this, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform published the results of this review of allowances and the outcome of the Government decision on its website at www.per.gov.ie.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

In the interests of bringing forward these savings to the pay bill, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform wrote to the Department instructing management to immediately engage with staff interests with a view to securing their early agreement to the elimination of certain Defence Forces allowances payable to current beneficiaries including Border duty allowance. Accordingly the issue of allowances, including Border duty allowance, is currently the subject of discussions between management and the representative associations under the conciliation and arbitration scheme for the Defence Forces. The Deputy will appreciate that as discussions under this scheme are confidential to the parties involved it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on this issue at this juncture.

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