Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

A number of questions were asked. The first is the difference between the Haddington Road agreement and the Croke Park II agreement. I do not know if the Deputy has had a chance to read the Haddington Road agreement but he can see the differences. In the minute I have to respond, I do not propose to go through every section. He can cross-reference the two agreements.

The substantive change is that a number of unions, which did not engage in the first round of discussions, did engage and tabled suggestions. I made it clear the objective for us was to maintain the productivity elements of the deal and to achieve the targeted savings in pay and pensions. I was open to a variety of ways of doing it. More imaginative ways of doing it were tabled and costed. I can go through them in detail, probably next week, on Committee Stage. The two elements dovetail.

With regard to retired public servants, they were not directly represented at pay talks because that is not normally done. Officials from my Department will meet the association this week. It was felt that those who retired with pensions over €32,500, half of the pay cut ceiling, should take some reduction in pay. It is a reduction from 2% for those immediately over €32,500, rising to 5% at the top. We have had long discussions about people who have left the public service with very high pension pots. I am trying to make some reduction in a proportionate way. We will have a chance to tease it out in some detail next week.

The final question was what the point was. I hope we will have an agreement but I cannot assume that we will. A balloting and validation process is required. Some unions will do it through their executives and some will do it by balloting. I cannot presume that so I need a backstop. People will sign up to the agreement and they can sign out of some of the measures in the financial emergency measures in the public interest legislation.

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