Written answers

Tuesday, 20 November 2007

Department of Finance

Departmental Bodies

8:00 pm

Photo of Ciarán LynchCiarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 133: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if, further to his recent reply, he will indicate the current terms of reference for The Review Body on Higher Remuneration; the changes in the terms of reference that have been made since the body was set up in 1969; the number of times the body has met in each of the past ten years; the number of reports and interim reports that it has issued in that period; the recommendations and awards it has made in that time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29243/07]

Photo of Brian CowenBrian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Review Body is an independent standing body whose primary function is to advise the Government on the general levels of pay appropriate to those covered by its terms of reference. It makes recommendations on levels of remuneration but has no role in relation to the making of awards. It is a matter for the Government to decide whether the recommendations should be implemented.

The current terms of reference of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector are:

"To act as a standing body whose primary function will be to advise the Government from time to time on the general levels of remuneration appropriate to

(1)members of the Government, Ministers of State, the Attorney General and the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann;

(2)the Judiciary;

(3)civil servants outside the scope of the civil service conciliation and arbitration scheme;

(4)higher management grades in the local authorities and Health Service Executive not covered by the Public Service Benchmarking Body process;

(5)the ranks of Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner and Surgeon in the Garda Síochána;

(6)Chief of Staff (Lieutenant-General), Major-General and Brigadier-General/ Commodore in the Defence Forces;

(7)the Comptroller and Auditor General;

(8)the chief executives of non-commercial state-sponsored bodies;

(9)hospital consultants;

and such other posts as it may be asked to examine from time to time".

In the past ten years the Review Body has issued the following reports: Report No. 38 — Sixth General Review — 25 September 2000; Report No. 39 — Higher posts in the Third Level Education Sector — 5 March 2001; Report No. 40 — Interim Report on the Seventh General Review — 27 June 2005; Report No. 41 — The remuneration of certain posts in the Health Service Executive — 16 December 2005; and Report No. 42 — Seventh General Review — 14 September 2007.

The details of the recommendations of the above reports can be accessed on the website of the Review Body www.reviewbody.gov.ie.

The standing terms of reference of the Review Body have been amended from time to time mainly to include or exclude certain groups. The following are some of the significant changes. In 1986 the Body was asked, on foot of the third general review in relation to the groups covered, to report on 'Whether it is desirable and feasible that such remuneration should take account of individual performance on the job and, if so, the criteria and mechanisms which might apply' (Report No. 30).

In January 1991 the terms of reference were amended to provide that the Review Body should carry out general reviews every four years.

Following the approval by the Government of the recommendations of the Review Body in Report No. 37 of 20 December 1996 (fifth general review), the remuneration of the chief executives of commercial state-sponsored bodies and of the harbour authorities was deleted from the terms of reference and is no longer considered by the Review Body.

In December 1999 the Government decided to include in the forthcoming general review:

1.the remuneration of the heads of third level institutions, bursars, registrars and secretaries, as well as state solicitors.

2.to ask the Review Body to recommend an appropriate civil service grade to which the pay of Dáil Deputies would be linked for the future and the proportionate relationship that the remuneration of Senators should have to that of Deputies.

3.the remuneration of the Chief Executive Officers of the new Eastern Regional Health Authority and the three new Area Health Boards, the Director of Planning and Commissioning and the Financial Director in the EHRA and the grade of Programme Manager in the Health Boards.

4.For the first time the remuneration of hospital consultants was included in the general review (they had previously been examined separately).

5.Subsequently the Review Body was also asked to review the remuneration of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Following the approval by the Government of the recommendations of the Review Body in Report No. 38 of 25 September 2000, the salaries of members of the Houses of the Oireachtas are no longer considered by the Review Body (the remuneration of political office holders is still covered). The Government also decided at that time that the revised terms should no longer provide for reviews at specific intervals since it was intended that future reviews would coincide with benchmarking exercises; the timing of which would be negotiated with the public service unions. In Report No. 42 the Review Body strongly urge that there should be a reversion to the arrangement of having reviews carried out every four years. The Government will consider this point in due course.

The Review Body is an independent body and its records are retained by the Body. The Tánaiste and Minister for Finance does not have access to these records and consequently is not in a position to inform the Deputy of the number of times the Review Body has met in the past ten years.

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