Thomas Byrne
Ceist:132. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his plans to improve the duty money rate and the payment system to ensure persons are paid in seven working days. [24282/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 12 June 2018
Ceisteanna (132)
Freagraí scríofa
Defence Forces pay is increasing in accordance with public sector pay agreements. The Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 provides for increases in pay ranging from 6.2% to 7.4% over the lifetime of the Agreement with the focus of the agreement on the lower paid. The restoration of cuts to allowances will also be considered in the context of the Agreement.
The process for the payment of Security Duty Allowances is that all approved claims are downloaded electronically from the Defence Forces Personnel Management System on the 10th of each month (or closest working day) and sent to the Department’s Finance Branch from where they are immediately forwarded electronically to the Department’s payroll provider – the National Shared Services Office - for payment in the next available payroll. (Payrolls are prepared in advance of each pay day). In May 2018, over 16,000 claims were processed from all units throughout the Defence Force for some 4,200 members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF).
The above arrangements, which have been in place since April 2017, replaced a manual system of processing claims. The process is contained in a Defence Forces Administrative Instruction which sets out the responsibilities of all relevant appointment holders involved. While all financial processes are kept under regular review, there are no proposals under consideration to change the current arrangements.