Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It came to my notice late in the day that this aspect to the Bill had been slipped in. I would have been very supportive of the Bill because it is an important one to set up this new Department, the new Minister and so on. To be honest, however, I really am flabbergasted that the Government would put this forward and would look for an increase of €16,288 for each of these new Ministers of State. If that is divided by 52, it gives a figure of €313 per week, and that is an increase, which is not a lot more than the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, and is a great deal more than the carer’s allowance.

This increase is such a negative message to people. What is being said here is that we can do this and we will. I am really surprised that all the parties in government would allow such a negative message to go out in the middle of a pandemic, looking for an increase in salaries. In my role as a Deputy, I regularly come across ordinary people who apply for different social welfare payments but are €5 or €10 over the limit or whatever. I know many people waiting anxiously on the new limits for the medical card. Once a person is over, however, he or she is over and that is it. Whether it is €1 or €100, it is a red line. Such people will look at this today and they will wonder how a Government could this to its own image.

I hear the talk about pay equality, and that is a legitimate argument, but we have pay inequality already. I remember in the European Parliament trying to bring to the attention of the European Commission the fact that younger teachers who started in 2011 or 2012 – I do not remember the exact detail – were paid less than their colleagues. I tried to bring this up from the perspective of pay equality but I was unable to and I had no success with it. While I know the Government is moving to close that gap, that gap still remains and it has been there for many years. Section 39 workers are another group who suffer under the issue of pay inequality, and as far as I understand, and I hope I am wrong, there is no move there to bring up their salaries.

My objective is not to slur the Government. I am just really astonished that it is doing it, to be honest. I just want to represent the views I have heard. I got a couple of phone calls from people who are just shocked that this is happening and who are asking how it can be happening. It is really those views that I want to reflect here today, and my own sense is the same. For what it’s worth, this leaves a sour taste, and it is not worth it.

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