Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has quoted from the Haddington Road agreement. It is my intention as I faithfully negotiated it with all trade unions. It was the first time that every public service trade union voted for an agreement because people were seized of the necessity to save the country at that stage.

The structure of the Haddington Road agreement is to require pay reductions from those who best are able to afford it. The only cash reductions were for those earning in excess of €65,000. That was the measure we negotiated as a Government in order to protect those on low pay. However, we asked for additional working from them, for example, if working less than 37 hours a week to work for 37 hours and if working more than 37 hours to work up to 39 hours per week. This has been largely done. This allows us to deploy that 15 million additional hours to reduce agency pay and overtime rates and to make the savings. In some instances, those savings have been rolled into what I have called the Haddington Road dividend, to allow for additional front-line people to be employed at a time of very scarce resources. I can assure the Deputy that the provisions of Haddington Road will be fully adhered to by the Government.

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