Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 307: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of public servants in receipt of long service increments; the cost to the taxpayer of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17367/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 158 of 23 October 2008.

The specific information requested is not readily available in my Department and retrieving it from our systems would require a disproportionate investment of time and effort by my officials. It should be said that increments, including long service increments, are not a gratuitous bonus paid by the State to its employees. Salary scales that involve incremental credit, based on the number of years served, are common to the majority of employments. They are designed to reflect the fact that the contribution of employees increases as they become more experienced in their roles. They also provide an incentive for continued high performance, as each year's increment is awarded on the basis of performance in the previous year. The alternative to incremental progression would be a system which paid a considerably higher starting salary to employees, with no progression. It is unlikely that such a system would be either cheaper or more effective.

Finally, it is worth saying that long service increments were introduced in the public service, where they exist, as the local bargaining element of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work (PCW). Management and Unions agreed to the introduction of long service increments as an alternative to a flat rate increase that would have applied immediately to all staff. It is also worth noting that a Clerical Officer joining the Civil Service in 2009 would not receive their first long service increment until 2023 and their second long service increment until 2026.