Vol. 546 No. 4
80 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Finance the assumptions concerning public sector pay rates which underpin expenditure projections for 2003 and 2004 included in the statistics and tables appended to the budget 2002; if increases are reflected in each individual vote group; and if an allowance has been made for the bench-marking process. [32008/01]
The provisions for 2003 and 2004 for each individual Vote, in line with previous practice, allows only for known pay increases arising from, among other things, the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, the final phase of which is due to be paid on 1 October 2002. No increase in pay rates for any successor agreement to the PPF is included in the individual Votes. The PPF will expire in the public service in 2003. I am satisfied that the unallocated element of voted current expenditure in 2003 and 2004 will be adequate to deal with the additional expenditure items arising in those years, including post-PPF pay increases, that have not been provided for in the Departmental figures for those years.
It is not possible to forecast the cost of any recommendations that might arise from the public service bench-marking exercise but as a prudent measure a limited provision of 150 million has been made towards the cost of implementing that body's report for 2002. This 150 million is also included in the above provisions for 2003 and 2004.
