Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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27. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has considered reversing the provision that new entrants to the public service have lower pay and conditions than existing staff. [26129/15]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I assume the Deputy is referring to the 10% reduced rates of pay for new entrants. This was one of a number of measures, introduced over the period since the fiscal crisis which directly affected the pay of public service staff. The reductions in starting pay were introduced as part of the National Recovery Plan in order to reduce the Public Service Pay Bill by the previous Government. 

However, this Government has since provided for an agreed process under the Haddington Road Agreement (Section 2.31) for the amalgamation of pay scales to address any imbalance in pay scales between those who entered the public service as new entrants after January 2011 with those applying to public servants before January 2011.  The revised scales provide for assimilation of new entrant public servants to a single applicable scale to each grade and represent a significant redressing of any imbalance particularly in the context of the savings required under the Haddington Road Agreement. The Lansdowne Road Agreement proposals which were recently agreed by employer and employee public service representatives represent an extension of the Haddington Road Agreement  up to September 2018, the terms of which will apply to all staff in accordance with the agreed proposals subject to ratification by the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.