Review group to be established to examine pay increases for senior public servants

The Government is set to establish a review body to examine the question of pay increases for senior public servants including top civil servants, health sector managers, senior judges, the chief executives of commercial semi-State agencies and politicians.

A report is due to be considered by the three party leaders at a meeting on Monday evening, before the Cabinet discusses the issue on Tuesday.

The report, compiled by Donal de Buitléir, was commissioned last year and tasked with making recommendations on the recruitment and pay of senior public servants. It was completed some time ago but there are some nerves in Government about establishing a process to increase pay at the top level while many people are struggling to pay bills.

However, it is expected that the Government will give the go-ahead to establish an independent review body, which will then make recommendations about pay for the most senior public servants.

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This will include pay levels for some semi-State agencies, such as RTÉ.

While Ministers are likely to be included in the recommendations, political sources say they are likely to exclude themselves.

Other recommendations in the report will be considered by the Government. They include that secretaries general of Government departments – the top civil servants – should, after completion of their seven-year term, revert to assistant secretary grades.

Another recommendation that the Top Level Appointments Commission – or TLAC, which recommends a shortlist of candidates for top Government jobs – should forward just one name for secretary general jobs rather than three, is unlikely to be approved by the Cabinet. Ministers are thought to be keen to maintain control appointing their most important officials.

According to terms of reference of the De Buitléir group, it was due to make recommendations for a host of senior grades including: senior Civil Service posts at assistant secretary equivalent level and above, including: secretary general, secretary general equivalents in the Civil Service, for example: chairman, Office of Public Works, Chief State Solicitor, Clerk of the Dáil, Houses of the Oireachtas, director general, Office of the Attorney General, Revenue Commissioner, Director of Public Prosecutions, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of Civil Service Offices.

It also included a representative sample of other senior posts in the public service, including chief executive of non-commercial State bodies, for example: National Transport Authority, Enterprise Ireland, IDA, Tusla, Solas, chief executive of the HSE, Garda Commissioner, local authorities chief executive and presidents of third-level educational institutions.

It also includes the judiciary, political office-holders, senior ranks in An Garda Síochána (assistant commissioner upwards), and in the Defence Forces, the Comptroller and Auditor General, chief executives of commercial State bodies.

Last year top civil and public servants were the last in the public service to receive the restoration of austerity-era pay cuts, amounting to pay rises of more than €20,000 in some cases. Secretaries general of Government departments receive salaries of up to €250,000 a year.