Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I would like to give some background information on the Marie Curie programme. It is part of the European Union's seventh framework programme for research and technological development, the major European Union instrument for funding research in the period 2007 to 2013. It seeks to provide broad support for the career development of researchers in the Union, with particular emphasis on research training and the provision of a structured mobility period in another country. It is open to researchers across all disciplines and from both industry and academia.

The impact of the programme in Ireland is significant. The programme has enabled research groups in our higher education institutions to attract high quality international PhD students and researchers to their teams. It has also enabled Irish researchers to spend a period abroad, furthering their experience and giving them the opportunity to work with internationally renowned researchers in their field of expertise.

The Marie Curie programme is an EU-wide scheme and its terms and conditions are defined by the European Commission. In this context, Commission officials have raised queries concerning the impact on Marie Curie award holders arising from the application of the recent public sector pay reductions. The criteria for reducing the pay of public servants, with effect from 1 January, are contained in the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009, in which a public servant is defined as a person who is employed by, or who holds any office or other position in, a public service body. A public service body is defined as one which receives direct or indirect funding and in which a public service pension scheme is in place, or applies or may be made. Section 6 of the Act contains a provision to allow the Minister for Finance to exempt either certain public servants, or classes or groups of public servants, from the operation of the Act either entirely or to such extent as the Minister considers appropriate in the event where there are exceptional circumstances.

Under the terms of the Act, universities and institutes of technology are considered to be public service bodies. The Act does not distinguish between those employees who are members of a public service pension scheme and those who are not, nor does it distinguish between those whose salaries are wholly paid from moneys provided by the Exchequer and those whose salaries are funded from other sources. The position is that all persons employed by a university or institute of technology, regardless of how their salaries are funded and irrespective of whether they are members of a public service pension scheme, are by definition public servants within the meaning of the Act.

Holders of Marie Curie awards who are hosted in a university or institute of technology have their employment contract with that institution. It is for this reason that the pay reduction has been applied to the Marie Curie fellows in the same way as it has to all other researchers and employees of these institutions. I am aware that representations have been made for an exemption to be made in the case of Marie Curie researchers. The Senator will be aware, however, that any consideration in this case must take into account the wider implications of such an exemption for other staff in the institutions and across the public sector.