Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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46. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the actions he plans to take in relation to the recommendation from the Independent Body Examining Additional Working Hours that public service hours should be returned to pre-Haddington Road Agreement levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2456/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Chapter 4 of Building Momentum - A new public service agreement, 2021-2022 provides that the parties to the Agreement recognise and accept that certain measures introduced under the Public Service Stability Agreements, including the “Haddington Road Agreement” are considered outstanding matters to be resolved as part of this Agreement.

In this context Section 4.2 of the Agreement provided for the establishment of an independent body to assess issues arising in addressing the Haddington Road Hours and to make appropriate recommendations to be applied equitably across all affected grades, groups, categories and sectors.

An Independent Hours Body chaired by Kieran Mulvey, former head of the Workplace Relations Commission, and comprising of employer, trade union representatives and independent members was established last April. The commitment to review this issue was a key element in agreeing Building Momentum which also provided for sustainable pay increases across the public service over 2021 and 2022.

I recently received correspondence from the Chairperson with the Independent Body’s Conclusions and Recommendations.

I have not yet received Mr Mulvey's full report and understand that the Independent Body will finalise this by the end of January.  The submission of the final report and its consideration by Government is an important part of the continuing implementation of the Agreement. 

In summary, the Independent Body is recommending that:

- The Haddington Road Agreement hours implemented in 2013 will be restored in the majority of relevant civil and public service employments with effect from July 1^st2022.

- Working hours for any grade will not be less than the level that applied prior to the Haddington Road Agreement, and in this regard, a minimum floor of 35 hours per week will apply.

- The Independent Body estimates that the cost of implementing their recommendations is €180 million in 2022. 

A number of steps have been taken in preparation for the potential removal of the Haddington Road Agreement hours.

- Firstly, a budget of €150m to replace these hours has already been provided for this year under the terms of Building Momentum.

- Secondly, I have communicated details of the potential changes to the relevant Ministers and sectors to enable commencement of any necessary planning at sectoral level regarding the implementation of the recommendations, depending on the decision of Government.

In conclusion, I look forward to receiving the full report from the Independent Body in the coming weeks.  The Government, continuing to prioritise service delivery, will then respond positively and appropriately to all of the Independent Body’s recommendations.