Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I start by condemning the brutal and savage attack at the main international airport in Istanbul which has left 36 people dead and scores more very badly injured. It is the latest in a series of attacks in Turkey and underlines the need for ongoing co-operation between member states of the European Union and their neighbours in dealing with the enormous threat to and the vulnerability of citizens as they go about their daily lives because of the actions of ISIS and other terrorist groups.

I am sure the Tánaiste will agree that serious and important issues are emerging in the public sector and the public service which have the potential to sap morale, hamper recruitment efforts and perpetuate inequality in the treatment of public servants in the context of their pay. Friday, 1 July, is fast approaching and the country could be facing some form of industrial action by members of An Garda Síochána because, as gardaí see it, there are still outstanding issues under the Haddington Road agreement. As the Tánaiste knows, the Garda Representative Association, GRA, signed up to the agreement. It was agreed at the time that there would be a review of Garda pay levels and the chairman of the review group, Mr. Ray McGee, formerly of the Workplace Relations Commission, was appointed. As that review was never completed, the GRA is fully convinced that the Haddington Road agreement was not implemented in full for them, as had been agreed, and that, therefore, gardaí should not be facing pay penalties by way of possible increment freezes from 1 July for not voting to accept the subsequent Lansdowne Road agreement. Newly qualified gardaí start on a salary of about €23,000 and it is impossible for them to afford to pay rent or mortgages. There are genuine grievances, but I think there is a mechanism within the industrial relations framework to resolve them. We ask the Tánaiste to confirm that gardaí will not face increment freezes.

In addition, teachers feel exceptionally aggrieved as they have had their qualification allowances cut and there is a very clear illustration of inequality in teachers' pay. Depending on whether one started as a teacher in 2010, 2011 or 2012, the difference over forty years can be more than €100,000. In particular, removing the qualifications allowance in 2012 had a devastating impact on teachers' pay, with the honorary primary degree allowance of close to €5,000 being taken out in one fell swoop in 2011. There are, therefore, real issues and the INTO, the ASTI and other teacher unions have been bringing them to people's attention. We need to recruit the brightest and the best into the public service. In that regard, inequality is not acceptable. I ask the Tánaiste to confirm when the public service pay commission, as committed to, will be established to create a mechanism and a formula to deal with these vital issues.

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