Departmental Staff Remuneration

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 November 2012

Tuesday, 27 November 2012

Questions (577)

Martin Ferris

Question:

577. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has made any contacts requesting staff whose annual salary is in excess of €200,000 in his Department or in any body under the remit of his Department, to waive 15% of their salary or such amount in excess of €200,000 whichever is the lesser; if he has, the date on which he first made this contact; the number of staff whose annual salaries were in excess of €200,000 at that date; the number of staff who acquiesced to the request for the waiver; the number of staff who refused the request for the waiver and the number of staff who have not responded to the request for the waiver. [52572/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The position in relation to my Department is that the salary paid to the Secretary General in my Department is currently €200,000 which takes account of a salary surrender of 15% and is in line with the Government decision of 21 June 2011 to adopt a general policy of a €200,000 pay ceiling for senior positions across the Public Service. The Minister wrote to the Chief Executive Officers of both the non-commercial and commercial State bodies informing them of the government decision in relation to the voluntary waiver of 15% or such amount in excess of €200,000, or in the case of the commercial State bodies such amount in excess of €250,000, whichever is the lesser, on 22 July 2011.