Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 July 2013
564. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide the saving to the Exchequer if the pay of all his special advisers and those of his Ministers of State were capped at the first point on the principal officer pay scale. [36519/13]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my reply below to Parliamentary Question 889 on 16th July 2013. The matter does not arise in respect of Ministers of State as none are remunerated by my Department.
ANSWER: At the outset I wish to remind the Deputy that public service pay policy is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform. In my capacity as Minister for Justice and Equality I have appointed Ms Jane Lehane and Mr Thomas Cooney as my Special Advisors. They are both paid at the Principal Officer standard scale. At the time of their appointment the salary scale was €80,051 - €98,424 and the only increases to their salaries has been by way of normal incremental progression.
Both have progressed to the 3rd point of the scale which would be approximately €6,000 above the 1st point, however, taking account of tax and pension related reductions the net savings to the Exchequer in capping their salaries at the 1st point would be considerably less than that figure.
The application of pay adjustments in accordance with the Financial Emergency Measure in the Public Interest Act has reduced their salary scale to €75,647 - €92,550. Restrictions on the payments of increments under the Haddington Road agreement will apply in both cases.
