Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 259: To ask the Minister for Finance the Departments and grades of the 600 managers and senior civil servants who will be exempted from the salary cuts outlined in budget 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1158/10]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 266: To ask the Minister for Finance the rationale for reversing the pay cuts of senior civil servants who will now take much less of a wage cut than lower paid civil servants; the reason the final pensions should not be similarly affected irrespective of bonus cuts, like those struggling to make a living at the lower end; if his attention has been drawn to the anger amongst the general public as a result of harsh but necessary measures to reduce our growing deficit, but who feel additionally discriminated against as a result of this measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1272/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 259 and 266 together.

The remunerations packages of Assistant Secretaries and Deputy Secretaries in the civil service and related grades in other parts of the public service included a scheme of performance-related pay which gave an average payment of 10% of salary. The related grades in other areas of the public service include groups at comparable levels in the local authorities, HSE, some State Bodies, Garda Síochána and Defence Forces. In 2009, it was decided this scheme would be terminated subject to discussion on the implementation of the decision with the relevant staff association.

In applying the recent reductions in pay, I considered that account had to be taken of the reduction in remuneration for Assistant Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries and related grades arising from the termination of the scheme of performance-related pay. Otherwise, the total reduction in remuneration for these grades would have been greater than those for other public servants including higher paid groups at the level of Secretary General or above. I decided that the reductions should comprise both a reduction in the salary scale and the termination of the scheme of performance-related pay previously payable to the grades. The resulting adjustments including the effect of the termination of the scheme of performance-related pay produce significant reductions in remuneration of 14% in the case of the grade of Deputy Secretary and 11.8% in the case of the grade of Assistant Secretary. These reductions are higher than those applying to other groups at lower salary levels.

As regards pensions, the arrangements applying to these grades in 2010 are the same as those applying to all public servants under the provisions of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No 2) Act 2009.