Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Yes. However, with regard to the issues themselves and how they are dealt with, what is being asked in essence is that nobody above €65,000 should get a cent back, despite the solemn agreement negotiated with the trade union movement. I do not think the consequences of that have been thought through. For example, principals and deputy principals in secondary schools and some primary schools, senior nurse managers and people who work at superintendent level and above would be affected. It would flatten the differentials. Why would anyone want to be a nurse manager if the pay was static? Why would they take on the job? Why would anyone become a school principal if there was a ceiling on the income?

The amendment is designed ostensibly to pretend that high pay is to be cut, but in fact it is to malogen down all pay in the public service. Most of us would regard high pay as over €100,000 with judges and academics getting sums above that. However, more than half of the people in the entire public health service are consultants in our hospitals. We are struggling to get consultants into many of our rural hospitals but if pay begins to be cut it will ensure there is no public health system, there would only be a private health system.