As the Deputy is aware the Government decided in 2009 that the performance related award scheme for Assistant Secretaries and Deputy Secretaries would be terminated, which resulted in an annual saving of around €2m. In applying the reductions in pay in January 2010, I considered that account had to be taken of the reduction in remuneration for Assistant Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries and related grades arising from the termination of the scheme. Otherwise, the total reduction in remuneration for these grades would have been greater than those for other public servants including higher paid groups at the level of Secretary General or above. I decided that the reductions should comprise both a reduction in the salary scale and the termination of the scheme of performance-related pay previously payable to the grades. The resulting significant reductions in remuneration amounted to 11.8% in the case of the grade of Assistant Secretary and 14% in the case of the grade of Deputy Secretary. These reductions are higher than those applying to other groups at the lower salary levels and significantly higher than the minimum reduction provided for under the legislation of 5%.
The additional amount saved in a full year through the reductions that were applied to these grades is estimated at around €0.6m. Applying the reductions set out in the Review Body Report would have resulted in an additional saving in the region of €1m.
