Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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302. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the assurances being given to a group (details supplied) that pay and conditions in the Defence Forces will improve in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30584/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I have recently met with representatives of the Group and during the meeting it was recognised that the issue of pay and conditions and other matters of concern to the Group were being progressed by me and the Department of Defence in consultation with the Representative Associations for members of the Permanent Defence Forces.

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.

The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts of 2009-2013 and the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2018 (the Lansdowne Road Agreement) define current pay policy for Public Servants and members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF). The measures contained in the Lansdowne Road Agreement (LRA), which PDFORRA have recently signed up to, and the provisions introduced in Budget 2016 and 2017, will be of benefit generally to members of the PDF. 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 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, following the publication of the Public Service Pay Commissions report on 9 May 2017, the Government initiated negotiations on an extension to the LRA with the relevant parties, including the Defence Force Representative Associations, ahead of Budget 2018 considerations. The proposals arising from these negotiations are currently being considered by the representative associations.