Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The FEMPI legislation - the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interests Acts - is a direction from the Oireachtas to reduce pay and, because the legislation is now being unwound, the new FEMPI Acts require by law that public bodies increase pay and restore pay, and that is exactly what is happening.

However, the Deputy rightly stated there are differences in pay. There are differences in pay between the public sector and the private sector. This, if you like, is part of a third sector, a voluntary sector, section 39, which is not part of the public service, and that is where the issue arises.

See this speech in context