A Clare government TD is defending his acceptance of a €2,000 salary increase as part of measures to restore pay to TD’s, Senators and Civil Servants.
This 2% increase comes as Cabinet members signed off on measures to have full pay restored to civil servants who’ve been on reduced pay since the financial crisis in 2008.
In 2008, civil servants took a pay cut during the recession under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act.
This means government workers who currently earn between €70,000 to €150,000 will see their salary rise.
However, as the government use the salaries of civil servants as a benchmark for the wages of political representatives, this means that their earnings will also jump.
The average salary of a TD will rise to over €100,000, while senators will see their income increase above €70,000.
Clare’s Fine Gael TD Joe Carey confirmed to Clare FM that he will be accepting the pay rise and says that the long hours, time away from family and the lack of job security justify their level of pay.
Prior to the current system, the income earned by TD’s and Senators was previously decided solely on a Ministerial proposal within the Dáil, and subsequently decided by a commission.
Former Fianna Fáil TD and Minister for Defence, Tony Killeen says both of these methods of deciding led to controversy.
Retired politician Tony Killeen was chairman of the committee which dealt with the transition to the current system of linking TD’s and Senators salaries to those of civil servants.
He acknowledges there was anger from some TD’s at the time as this effectively left representatives unemployed upon each collapse of the Dáil.
Tony Killeen still believes it’s the fairest possible system.
Clare FM have contacted each of the county’s Oireachtas members this morning in relation to the pay increase.
Sinn Féin’s Violet-Anne Wynne says she signed a waiver at the beginning of the year to forgo all pay increases, while Green Party Senator Róisín Garvey is undecided.
Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway and Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe say they don’t get involved in the process, but would accept any pay rise or pay cut approved by Cabinet.
Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley said he was unaware of any planned pay rise, as did Independent TD Michael McNamara. The Scariff-based Deputy voted to decrease TDs pay in 2011 and says “those days aren’t far away again”.
