Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total value of increments for a given 12 month period being awarded in 2010, 2011 and 2012; if he will provide a breakdown according to the following salary brackets, or comparable: less than €25,000, between €25,000 and €50,000, and more than €50,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28687/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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My Department has access to detailed data on increments only in the Civil Service sector, for which I have direct responsibility. I will arrange for the relevant data in relation to the Civil Service to be collated and forwarded to the Deputy, as soon as it comes to hand.

The position in relation to detailed data on increments is that it is not currently available or readily accessible within the sectors. Detailed pay roll data for other public servants, including that for increments is held and managed by individual public service employers. The availability of specific data on increments varies across those bodies. For example, detailed data on the cost of increments in the Local Authority sector is not currently available to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government as it covers 34 individual local authorities.

No specific financial provision is made to public service bodies in respect of increments as they are required to meet the cost within their overall pay allocations. Accordingly, as it is a matter for each public service body to manage the cost of increments on an individual basis within their individual pay allocations, details are not sought for expenditure planning purposes and the information does not form part of the estimates process. However, the public service reform plan provides for a move to shared services across the public service and this will ensure greater accuracy of data and provide access to improved management information in real time. This is one of the many strategic benefits of shared services.

On increments generally, based on more detailed information recently requested by my Department on the total cost of increments in a full year in the various sectors, the estimated full year cost of increments in the public service (excluding the Local Authority sector) is now estimated at no more than €180 million per annum and less than half that sum in 2012. Significantly reduced recruitment, the ongoing substantial fall in numbers of public servants and higher numbers reaching the maxima of scales has reduced the cost of increments. This cost will continue to fall over the coming years.