Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 15 May 2001

Vol. 536 No. 2

Written Answers - Public Service Pay.

Alan Shatter

Question:

192 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Defence if his Department's submission to the public service benchmarking body was submitted after the specified deadline, withdrawn and finally resubmitted a week after the specified date, and that the chairman of the public service benchmarking body, details supplied, stated that the associations representing members of the Defence Forces were thereby prejudiced by the actions of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13987/01]

Billy Timmins

Question:

193 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Defence if his Department's submission to the public service benchmarking body was submitted after the specified deadline, withdrawn and finally resubmitted a week after the specified date, and that the chairman of the public service benchmarking body, details supplied, stated that the associations representing members of the Defence Forces were thereby prejudiced by the actions of his Department and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13988/01]

Minister for Defence (Mr. M. Smith)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 192 and 193 together.

The Department of Defence's initial submission to the public service benchmarking body, PSBB, was delivered on Thursday, 22 March. However, it was considered that a number of revisions would be beneficial. The Department decided that, in the circumstances, the best course of action would be to request the PSBB to allow it to withdraw, revise and then resubmit this document and the PSBB kindly agreed to this request. A revised submission was delivered to the PSBB on Thursday, 29 March 2001 and acknowledged the next day.