Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is fair to say the recent visit of President Trump showed the total disparity in pay and conditions between An Garda Síochána, for whom I have great respect in terms of the work its members do - they are entitled to overtime – and the Defence Forces. It shows the wedge over which the Minister of State is presiding. Personnel from the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps were involved in protection duties for the visit. The Minister of State mentioned 497 members who provided aid to the civil power. They were paid €20 after tax for a 24-hour shift. That is just not sustainable when one compares it to the multiples of that amount paid to other public servants providing protection duty. It is not sustainable in terms of morale or hopelessness that we continue to stand over such a significant gap for people providing protection in the State. A member of An Garda Síochána could be paid up to €1,000 for that duty, potentially more than 50 times the amount received by a member of the Defence Forces. It is unacceptable that we allow that to occur. That is the reason we need to resolve the issue through the Public Service Pay Commission, yet that is something the Minister of State continues to ignore and even delays. He has the report and he needs to deal with it.

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