Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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188. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the timeline for full pay restoration for public sector workers on low incomes. [27619/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The process of unwinding the Financial Emergency (FEMPI) legislation commenced under the Lansdowne Road Agreement 2016-2018, with the remainder of the process largely completed under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 (PSSA). This will continue under ‘Building Momentum: A New Public Service Agreement, 2021-2022’.

At this point, salary rates up to €150,000, which account for 99% of the Public Service, have been fully restored. Section 20 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 sets out that public servants with annualised basic salaries above €150,000 should be restored by a date no later than 1 July, 2022.

As the Deputy may be aware, I have established an Independent Review Panel into the recruitment and pay determination processes for Senior Public Service posts.

In addition, each year, under the terms of the FEMPI Act 2013, I am obliged to carry out an annual review of the operation, effectiveness and impact of the FEMPI Acts, having regard to the overall economic conditions in the State and national competitiveness. In this annual review, I am also to consider whether or not any of the provision of the relevant Acts continue to be necessary having regard to the purposes of those Acts, the revenues of the State and State commitments in respect of public service pay and pensions.

The 2021 annual review, a written report of which was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on the 25 June, 2021, recommended the continuation of the unwinding of the FEMPI measures in line with the provisions enacted in the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act, 2017.