Results 3,961-3,980 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I accept I did not deal with that question. The voluntary waiver system with regard to the pension levy was set up not merely by consultation, but by agreement between the Chief Justice and the head of the Revenue Commissioners.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I replied to that question.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I will repeat the exact reply I gave and will not deviate from it. If the Government's amendments-----

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: -----are passed it will apply to persons employed by bodies with a public service pension scheme. I said the application of pension levy is by rule of thumb and there may be individuals in an anomalous position. If so, they can be considered under the Minister's various powers under the Bill and it is just and equitable to do so.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: That is a reply to Deputy Rabbitte's question.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: As stated previously, the Judiciary and any other such category is being given an opportunity to contribute under the Finance Bill and that will achieve precisely the same end as Deputy Burton's amendment. With regard to what the Minister of State said, I added an amplification to that, not a contradiction of what he said.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: Can the Deputy please hear me out?

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I amplified the remarks of the Minister of State, Deputy Carey.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I did not contradict them. I added to the reference to rule of thumb that there may be individuals in an anomalous position. If so, they can be considered under the Minister's various powers under the Bill and it is just and equitable to do so.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: As far as the constitutional issue is concerned, it is not entirely the case, and Deputy Shatter would know this better than anybody, that the Government always rejects legislative proposals from the Opposition. The fine separation Bill in 1988-----

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I do not believe that is the only Bill that originated with the Deputy that ended up on the Statute Book.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I will not presume or pre-empt what the Government's attitude would be, and sometimes when a Bill is rejected it is because the Government is promising to bring forward a Bill of its own-----

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: -----dealing with the same subject but perhaps in a slightly different way. With regard to the question of consultation, I fully agree with what Deputy Shatter said about considerations of appropriateness having to be taken into consideration. What happened in the case of the pension levy was that the Chief Justice approached the Revenue Commissioners to devise a system whereby the Judiciary...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I have nothing to add to what I have already said.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: It is the Government's intention to apply pay reductions in the public service pay Bill for the purpose of saving money of the order of €1 billion. It is not punitive and does not single out organisations. It is simply a necessity driven by our finances. For that reason, the commercial State-sponsored bodies are not included.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: The pay of those bodies is funded through their own commercial efforts.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: With the exception of chief executives, the Minister for Finance does not control the pay of the staff of those bodies. They have not been covered by the public service element of pay rounds in the past-----

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: -----and have taken an independent approach.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I listened to the debate in total silence.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: They have not been covered by the public service element of pay rounds in the past and have taken an independent approach to controlling their pay bills. The same is true of Anglo Irish Bank, which is run on an arm's length commercial basis by the board.