Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 November 2018
90. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the date the joint submission to the Public Service Pay Commission was completed; the timeframe for the publication of the submission; and if all the matters raised by military management were included in the submission. [48348/18]
View answerThe Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 provides that the Public Service Pay Commission will conduct a comprehensive examination and analysis of underlying difficulties in recruitment and retention in those sectors and employment streams identified in the Commission's Report of May 2017.
The Commission's approach to Phase 2 of its work can be found on its website, which includes the terms of reference for this phase. The Commission has adopted a modular approach to this phase of its work. The Commission has focused on specific areas in the Health Sector in the first module and recently produced a report on nurses and midwives, non-consultant hospital doctors and hospital consultants.
Module 2 provides that the Commission will report on those other grades/specialities where evidence of recruitment and/or retention difficulties were found to exist in Chapter 6 of the Report which the Commission published in May 2017. This includes specific challenges in the Defence sector.
In order to assist the Commission in their analysis, the Department of Defence was requested, earlier this year, to provide specific data. A civil and military team was tasked with collating this material. An initial tranche of material was forwarded to the Commission, through the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, earlier this year. This material focused on pilots in the Air Corps.
Further material in relation to the broader Defence sector has been forwarded to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The material which has been forwarded is the specific data that was requested to assist the Commission in their work. As outlined on the Commission's website, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are coordinating data requested on behalf of Public Service Employers.
Due consideration will be given to the findings and recommendations that arise from the work of the Commission, when this is completed. The publication of material submitted is a matter for the Public Service Pay Commission.
