Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 176: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the cost per year of pay raises awarded to An Taoiseach, Ministers, Ministers of State and TDs over the past five years. [31343/07]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The table below shows for each of the years 2004 to 2007 the year-on-year increase in cost of the pay of the Taoiseach, Ministers, Ministers of State and TDs. This takes account of all pay increases (i.e. those arising from nation wage agreements, recommendations of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector and the Benchmarking Body).

Report No. 38 of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector recommended that the salary of a TD should be set at the ordinary maximum of the grade of Principal (standard) in the civil service and should be revised for the future on that basis. Following implementation of this recommendation the salary of TDs is no longer examined by the Review Body.

The salaries of the Taoiseach, Minister and Minister of State are made up of two elements: the office holder's salary plus the TD's basic salary. While the TD's element of the salary is determined in the manner set out above, the office holder's element is examined from time to time by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration. The office holder's salary does not attract increases recommended by the Public Service Benchmarking Body.