FG in call over pay cut to judiciary

Fine Gael has called on the Government to amend the Constitution to facilitate a reduction in the pay of the judiciary.

The party has claimed the State could have collected €3.1 million in revenue had the judiciary not been exempt from public sector pay cuts imposed by the Budget.

Fine Gael Front Bench Spokesperson Alan Shatter urged the Government to adopt a Fine Gael Bill to amend the Constitution on the same day as a referendum on children’s rights.

“While there has been a lot of debate and comment on the voluntary contribution by members of the judiciary to the pension levy this has in many ways disguised a larger issue. Collectively the 141 judges of the Supreme, High, Circuit and District Courts have avoided taking €3.1m in pay reductions that others in the public sector have taken since the budget in December," he said.

"The problem can be solved if the Government adopts the 29th Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2009 that I published in November," the South Dublin TD said.

"This states that where there is a compelling need to stabilise the State’s finances, and as a consequence it is necessary to reduce public service pay, any reduction in the pay of all public servants or in the pay of a class of public servants may be applied to effect a comparable reduction in the pay of all members of the judiciary", Mr Shatter said.