At the time of the publication of Report 42 of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Service, there was a lack of agreement around the application of recommended pay increases to different categories of managers in the HSE. As a result, the then Minister for Health did not sanction the payment of these increases. Subsequently, due to the severe economic situation in Ireland, in July 2008, the Government decided to cap all increases at 5% and announced that all of the pending increases for Ministerial and Parliamentary Office holders and other senior public servants would not be implemented. The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act was also passed which restricted the power to pay remuneration above the rate determined in accordance with the terms of the Act.
My Department submitted a business case for the application of pay adjustments to certain senior managers in the HSE to the Minister for Finance (now Finance and Public Expenditure & Reform). The Minister for Finance considered that the circumstances applying to these HSE senior managers cannot be considered as exceptional circumstances, which cause a substantial inequity to arise, that warrant a distinction to be made between those circumstances and those of other public servants.
There are no plans to make any awards in respect of Report 42 at this time.
