Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 May 2013
112. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 106 of 22 May, 2013, the number of persons who are earning in excess of €200,000 who are not an academic medical consultant; if he will provide details of their role or position and the reason the public service salary cap does not apply in these cases. [26277/13]
View answerThere are currently 10 people in the Education sector who are earning in excess of €200,000 and who are not academic medical consultants, four of whom are Heads of Universities. The remainder are appointments made in accordance with a framework agreed between the Irish Universities Association and the Higher Education Authority which allows for a departure from approved levels of remuneration.
Framework Appointments are made by universities under the terms of a Departures Framework provided for under Section 25(5) of the Universities Act 1997. This allows universities in very limited and exceptional circumstances, for academic and research posts, to depart from approved levels of remuneration where the governing authority is satisfied that it is necessary to meet the objects of the university. The purpose of the Framework is to enable a university to attract a person to its staff, who would, because of exceptional or scarce expertise and/or qualifications, command remuneration higher than the norm and who would not be prepared to work for the university unless so rewarded. Appointments made under the framework do not require the sanction of the Minister or the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
The Deputy will be aware that the Government introduced a salary ceiling of €200,000 and this has applied to all new appointments to senior positions across the Public Service. Since becoming Minister I have written to the Chairpersons of University Governing Bodies requesting them to ask all relevant individuals, including Presidents, who earn in excess of €200,000, to make voluntary waivers of salary. While two individuals, one of whom is a university Head, have agreed to make personal arrangements with their employer regarding a deduction of the amount of salary over €200,000, there have been no voluntary waivers made for the benefit of the State. I cannot enforce a voluntary waiver nor can I insist that a waiver, if made, follows any particular format. For example, if an employee chooses to waive a portion of his/her salary in favour of a charity or their employer they are free to do so. However, it would be my personal preference as Minister that any waiver made should be for the benefit of the State.
