asked the Minister for Justice the steps, if any, he has taken to remedy grievances concerning the pay and conditions of those in the upper ranks of the Garda Síochána.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Garda Officers' Pay.
20.
I take it that the question refers to the pay and conditions of chief superintendents and superintendents about which there has been some recent publicity. Both of these ranks are within the scope of the Garda Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme, which provides for the determination of claims by an independent arbitrator in cases where agreement cannot be reached at conciliation. Certain representations by the two ranks concerned about the method of determining their pay and conditions are under consideration by the Government. Beyond mentioning that fact however I do not consider that either the interests of the ranks themselves or the public interest would be served by any public statement on my part, since I believe that complex matters of this kind are best dealt with in private negotiations.
Could the Minister do something about overtime payments? I gather that some of these senior ranks have less take-home pay than men in lower ranks on account of overtime payments?
I have heard that allegation and occasionally something like that may happen, but I want to make it clear that the senior ranks are not claiming overtime as such.