Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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40. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason rent allowance has been removed from young gardaí; if she will consider re-instating this allowance to help new members of the force; the amount it costs to operate this allowance; the amount that has been saved by cutting this allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7846/16]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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41. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will restore pay for gardaí and end the two-tier pay system, where new members of the force are paid on a different scale to other members; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7847/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 41 together.

The Deputy will be aware that following a review of all allowances in the public service during 2011 and 2012, the Government decided on 18 September 2012 that rent allowance for all new public servants including Gardaí, Prison Officers and Fire Officers should be abolished. The rent allowance costs €4,600 per officer per annum (inclusive of Employer's PRSI).

The Garda Commissioner who is the Accounting Officer for the Garda Vote has informed me that the annual cost to the Garda Vote, of reinstating the rent allowance for all recently attested Garda members would amount to €1.8 million. In addition, the annual costs of granting the rent allowance to existing student Gardaí upon attestation would be a further €1.4 million, giving a total for those recruited since recruitment recommenced in 2014 of €3.2 million. Obviously, that cost would increase by €4,600 for every Garda recruited into the future.

In December 2010 the then Government approved the reduction by 10% of the incremental salary scale for new entrants to traditional recruitment grades in the public service, including An Garda Síochána, to achieve a structural reduction in the cost of the public service. Under the terms of the Haddington Road Agreement para. 2.31, the imbalance between those who entered the public service since 2011 and those who entered before that date was required to be addressed by the preparation of revised incremental salary scales for new entrants. The pay scales now converge. Accordingly, the current position in relation to pay for new recruits is that trainee Gardaí are supported while completing their 2 year BA in Applied Policing. For the 32 week duration of phase 1 of their training they receive abasic weekly allowance of €184 and full board in the Garda College. After 32 weeks they are fully attested and move onto the first point of the Garda incremental pay scale of €23,750. The incremental scale rises to €42,138 per annum after 8 years with two further increments after 13 and 19 years' service which bring the maximum of the pay scale to €45,793 per annum after 19 years. It is important to recall that the Garda pay scale does not represent the full earnings of a Garda as it does not include any allowances. Gardaí assigned to frontline duties work the Garda Roster which attracts unsocial hours payments. Such payments amount to between 25% and 30% of their earnings. Even at the entry level of €23,750 and the lower end of unsocial hours scale, this will add almost €6,000 to the salary. Other allowances may also be payable, as may overtime.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Lansdowne Road Agreement represents the agreed structure for industrial relations and pay within the public serviceuntil 2018. It provides for the gradual unwinding of the pay reduction measures imposed on public servants at a cost of €844m over three years. It is underpinned by the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2015 (FEMPI). All public servants, including members of An Garda Síochána, have started to receive the benefits of that Agreement in the form of reductions in the rate of Pension Related Deduction (PRD) payable. For the majority of public servants, in addition to the PRD benefits, there is a significant reduction, weighted in favour of the lower paid, of the pay reductions suffered under the 2009 FEMPI legislation.  These come in the form of increases in gross pay and are incorporated in the pay scale referred to above.

I recognise that public servants, including members of An Garda Síochána, played a significant part in stabilising the public finances and bringing about the economic recovery and I understand their frustrations at the pace of pay restoration. It is, however, essential that a prudent and sustainable approach is adopted given the current resources available and fiscal restraints on spending.