Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I strongly agree with many of the points made by the Deputy. The FEMPI legislation underpins the cuts and that legislation is anchored in the emergency but, mercifully, we are now exiting from that emergency. The prudent and right approach is to prepare for the exit in an orderly way but in a way that does not risk the recovery that the Irish people have worked so hard to achieve.

I agree that we need to share in the improvement and that is why, during the discussions last year, we began the process of reducing the universal social charge on all workers from 1 January this year. Up to three pay reductions have been imposed on the public service and we agreed in the teeth of the emergency that when we next spoke we would be talking about pay recovery and that is what is under way right now.

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