Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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127. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if there was a wage increase approved for the Army Ranger wing of the Defence Forces in 2005; and if those serving soldiers were given the increase. [31381/18]

Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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128. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31382/18]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 128 together.

The Conciliation and Arbitration scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) provides a formal mechanism for the PDF representative associations, i.e. RACO and PDFORRA, to engage with the Official side. Having regard to commitments under national public service pay agreements, the representative associations can make representations in relation to the pay and conditions of their members. Where agreement is not reached, it is open to both official and representative sides to refer the matter to an Adjudicator or an Arbitration Board.

There are a number of outstanding adjudication findings across the public service which cannot be implemented at this time having regard to the provisions of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act, 2009-2015. This includes an adjudication which took place in 2010, in respect of an increase in the Army Ranger Wing (ARW) allowance. The adjudication recommends an increase in the ARW allowance backdated to 1 June 2006.

Paragraph 5.21 of the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020, provides that the parties will commit to entering into a process to conclude by end-September 2018, which will involve engagement in relation to an appropriate, time-bound process for addressing any outstanding adjudications, having due regard to the question of their continued validity and cost implications. The review mechanism is the subject of ongoing consideration in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.