Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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275. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will restore the salaries for all Army, Naval Service and Air Corps personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22263/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Rates of remuneration and conditions of employment in each part of the Irish public sector have traditionally been set by reference to levels of pay available in related public sector employments.

I believe that measures contained in the Lansdowne Road Agreement (LRA) and the provisions introduced in Budget 2016 and 2017 will be of benefit generally to members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF). The provisions set out in the LRA are an extension of the provision of the Haddington Road Agreement and all existing dispute resolution procedures continue to apply.

The LRA provided for increased salaries during 2016 and 2017 in a manner which benefited the lower paid. These benefits come in the form of increases in gross pay in 2016 for those earning up to €31,000 and in 2017 for all those earning up to €65,000. In addition the Government has introduced legislation which has commenced the process to reduce the pay reduction applied under the FEMPI Acts.

In relation to the Pensions Related Deduction (PRD), which is commonly referred to as the ‘Pension Levy’, the exemption threshold for payment of the ‘Levy’ will increase substantially during the course of the agreement from €15,000 to €28,750 which means that annual income subject to the levy below €28,750 will no longer be liable to the deduction.

In terms of remuneration going forward, the Public Service Pay Commission (PSPC) report published yesterday, will inform Government consideration on future developments on public service remuneration, including the Defence Forces, in the context of the FEMPI Acts 2009 - 2015. The report is now the subject of detailed consideration. The Government intends to initiate negotiations on a successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement in the coming weeks. Future remuneration of Defence Forces personnel will be dealt with within this process.