Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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75. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the full-year cost of implementing the national living wage for public sector workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43315/24]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The current living wage, as set out by the Living Wage Technical Group, is €14.75 per hour. In relation to the civil service, for which my Department holds detailed data, €14.75 based on the civil service 35 hour standard net working week equates to an annual salary of approximately €26,938. Detailed data on civil service staff indicates that less than 0.02% of staff in the civil service are on salary points less than this. This is based on data from September 2024, which does not take account of the increase of 1% or €500, whichever is greater, provided for on 1 October 2024 under Public Service Agreement 2024 - 2026. Once this is accounted for, it is anticipated that there will not be any civil servants on an hourly rate below €14.75.

Those currently on an annual salary of less than €26,938 may be receiving remuneration in excess of the suggested living wage through additional premium payments in respect of shift work or atypical working hours. In addition, these salary scales progress to the suggested Living Wage and above through normal incremental progression.

The current public service agreement is Public Service Agreement 2024-2026. In total, the Agreement provides for increases of 10.25% over a two and a half year period. This is made up of general round increases totalling 9.25%, as well as a provision for a Local Bargaining mechanism equivalent to 1% of the basic pay cost. Over the lifetime of the agreement, the lowest paid public servants will see benefits of up to 17.3%, inclusive of the local bargaining provision.

The public service information sought in this request would require detailed data on the position of staff on each salary scale across the public service and details of the standard working hours per week for each individual grade. This data is not held in my Department.