Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2023
235. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the extent to which it is now deemed that all aspects of FEMPI have been resolved; the number of cases outstanding, if any; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52557/23]
View answerThe process of unwinding the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) legislation commenced under the Lansdowne Road Agreement 2016-2018. This was underpinned by the FEMPI 2015 Act. The provisions of the 2015 Act also allowed for the amelioration of the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR). The remainder of the process continued under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 (PSSA) and the current public service agreement, Building Momentum. This was underpinned by the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017, implementation of which would complete the unwinding of the FEMPI legislation in relation to reductions in remuneration. The 2017 Act also provided for the complete unwinding of PSPR.
At the end of the PSSA 2018 - 2020, FEMPI pay reductions were reversed for all public servants earning up to €70,000 per annum, which equated to almost 90% of public servants. Allowances reduced under FEMPI were fully restored from 1 October 2020. Section 19 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provided for the complete unwinding of remaining FEMPI measures on public servants paid an annual basic salary of up to €150,000 on 1 July 2021. Section 20 of the 2017 Act provided for the complete unwinding of remaining FEMPI measures on public servants paid an annual basic salary of more than €150,000, on 1 July 2022. This completed the process of unwinding FEMPI reductions for public servants.
Each year, under the terms of the FEMPI Act 2013, the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform is obliged to carry out an annual review of the operation, effectiveness and impact of the FEMPI Acts, having regard to the overall economic conditions in the State and national competitiveness. In this annual review, the Minister is also to consider whether or not any of the provision of the relevant Acts continue to be necessary having regard to the purposes of those Acts, the revenues of the State and State commitments in respect of public service pay and pensions. The 2023 annual report was published in June 2023 and can be found on the DPENDPR website.
