Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, who had to step out of the Chamber. I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 28 together.

As the Deputies will be aware, the current public sector pay agreement, the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020, will expire at the end of the year. The agreement was passed into law by the House in the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 and we have committed to honouring the agreement in full. The final commitment under this agreement is to a 2% increase in salaries, due on 1 October. This will be made as scheduled under the 2017 Act. Proceeding with the payment is both in recognition of the contribution that public servants have made in dealing with the public health emergency and a demonstration of our commitment to collective agreements. It demonstrates the Government's belief in the benefits of a collective approach to public service industrial relations. The Public Service Stability Agreement has allowed us as a Government to dismantle the financial emergency legislation while providing certainty in our fiscal planning. I think most people would agree it has served us well.

The House will also be aware that within the programme for Government, as Deputy Nash noted, there is a commitment to seeking to negotiate a new agreement with the public service unions. Our approach to any engagement, however, will need to take full account of the State's current financial circumstances and outlook. The Minister looks forward to engaging with the public service unions on these matters in the coming months.

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