Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I find it astonishing that the Minister can say with a straight face that retaining top civil servants because their skills are so precious and finite means they have to be rewarded for their greater intellectual and progressive powers. Is the evidence in the negotiation of the contract around the national children's hospital, the tender for broadband or the housing or trolley crises? Where is the evidence that our top civil servants are so bright that they need to be paid more than €200,000 a year?

The Minister seems to agree with that but on the other hand he refuses to give pensions to retired CE supervisors, a labour court recommendation he consistently denies. He sanctioned a pay rise for semi-State pensioners who have been outside the gates and have not had a pension rise for ten years, yet the pension levy continues to be deducted from their meagre pensions. How does the Minister square that circle? Many of our services which are administered by top civil servants in receipt of €200,000 a year are in a mess, but the Minister refuses to acknowledge a labour court recommendation for retired CE supervisors and continues to penalise public sector pensioners.

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