Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 6, line 41, after “determine” to insert the following:

“but the total annual remuneration for each director shall be no more than €100,000”.

I have consistently argued, as I do in amendments Nos. 5 and 12, for a cap to apply at the highest pay levels of the public service. That is hugely important in these economically straitened times. These amendments are consistent with my and my party's approach to this matter. Such a step together with the reductions in Deputies' and Senators' pay, which we have argued should continue, would save approximately €4.3 million per annum.

Rather than targeting pay at the lower end of the scale, which has been the case under this Government's austerity approach, the Minister's colleagues in Cabinet who are making these decisions should look at the top end and tax at a higher level those who are on the highest income streams, as well as taxing wealth. Sadly, the Government has chosen to punish average and lower paid public servants, with which I strongly disagree. Of course, the Government has also breached, as has the Minister in his Department, the guidelines regarding the pay of ministerial advisers. The guidelines appear to be an à la carte option in that Ministers can take them or leave them. Most of them have left them and allocated very generous pay terms to a number of ministerial advisers in their employ.

I do not expect the Minister to accept these amendments. I have argued for them, as have colleagues in my party as well as other Members in the House, across all the portfolios. It is critical that we revisit this matter time after time to make the point that the only way we can properly show leadership in these times is if those on the most generous pay terms are prepared to take the greatest pain, and not the reverse as is currently the case. That is not to suggest that we are hoping to penalise people or make life any more difficult for them than it is for anybody else: far from it. I tabled amendments Nos. 5 and 12 because I believe the capping of pay at €100,000 at the highest levels of the public service in the current economic circumstances is not unreasonable. It is fair and is a generous return for anybody's labours. I hope the Minister is prepared to give it serious thought and not ignominiously dismiss these propositions.

See this speech in context