Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will confirm that the link between public service pay and pensions will be kept; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42597/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The earnings link, or 'pay parity' basis for post-retirement increases, is a feature of Irish public service schemes.

In the Civil Service increases in pensions are awarded at the discretion of the Minister for Finance under Regulations made by him under Section 29 of the Pensions (Increase) Act 1964. The Act does not prescribe what form the increases should take or how they should be calculated.

A typical provision in a public service scheme would be that increases may be granted under the scheme as may be authorised from time to time by the Minister responsible, with the consent of the Minister for Finance.

As the Government has made clear on a number of occasions, all public expenditure, pay and non-pay, current and capital, is under review in the context of the Budget.