Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 85: To ask the Minister for Finance the cost of public service increments for 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011; and if he will be making further payments in 2011 and 2012. [11965/11]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Increments within the Public Service vary in terms of timing, cost and application both within and across the various sectors of the Public Service and estimates of cost are of necessity, tentative.

It has been estimated that the annual cost in a full year of increments would be around €250 million. However, significantly reduced recruitment and higher numbers on the maxima of scales will mean that this cost will reduce in the coming years and will be affected by other factors. These include retirements, voluntary redundancies, number reductions, recruitment rates and the numbers of employees reaching the maximum of the scale, which cannot be quantified.

No specific provision is made in the financial allocations to public service bodies as they are required to meet the cost within their allocations.

Suspending increments would affect some public servants but would have no effect on others. Generally, incremental scales are longer for lower paid staff than for higher. Accordingly a higher proportion of lower paid including front line staff would be affected by a suspension of increments.

I have no proposals to change the current arrangements in relation to the payment of increments as they would disproportionately affect the lower paid staff in the public service.