asked the Minister for the Public Service the average public service employee wage in 1983.
5.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Public Service Wages.
4.
asked the Minister for the Public Service the projected average public service employee wage for 1984.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together. Figures are not available for the average wage for a public service employee in 1983 nor for a projected average wage in 1984. However, the average cost to the Exchequer of the pay of a public service employee, including basic pay, overtime, allowances and employer's PRSI contributions, is estimated at £11,000 in 1983 and £11,900 in 1984. These estimates are based on the provisional budget outturn for 1983 and amounts included for pay in the 1984 Estimates for Public Services exclusive of the contingency provision for certain pay increases in Vote 50. The figures given relate to the non-industrial civil service, teachers, Defence Forces, Garda and health employees. In order to ensure comparability, pay costs of staff transferred to An Post and Bord Telecom Éireann have been excluded. I would emphasise that the figure for 1984 is necessarily very provisional.
Could the Minister give the total number in the public service for 1983 and 1984 on which he is basing his figures?
I do not seem to have that information but I will make it available to the Deputy.
Perhaps I can assist the Minister. I suggest that the number in the public service has increased somewhat between 1983 and 1984. Will he, therefore, comment on the success of the Government's embargo on recruitment to the public service?
My information in relation to the embargo is that it is having the necessary effect in reducing the numbers in public service employment.
With respect, if the Minister does not have the information available how can he make that statement? The information available to me is that the size of the public service has increased somewhat between 1983 and 1984 and that, therefore, the embargo has not been operational.
I should like to point out that the Deputy asked me a question in relation to the numbers of public servants included in calculating the average wage, which is totally different from the question of increased numbers.
I will take either figure.
I will make the figure on which the average wage is based available to the Deputy.