Government will not revisit pay rises

There are no plans to revisit the large salary increases accepted by Ministers at the next Cabinet meeting, a Government spokesman said yesterday.

This is despite suggestions by two Ministers yesterday that the issue could be discussed again in light of the public reaction to the pay hikes.

Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea and Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan accepted that the payments were difficult to defend.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was awarded a salary increase of €38,000 a year, while Ministers were awarded an increase of €25,000 a year by the review body on higher earners.

Mr O'Dea said there was a view among the public that the pay rises were unjustified and the issue could be re-examined.

"If it comes up before the Cabinet, we'll all have an input and thrash it out and see what the possibilities are," he told RTÉ's The Week in Politics.

Asked about the public reaction to the increases, he replied: "To be honest about it, yes people have said to me that the size of the increases appear to ordinary people to be unjustified."

Mr Ryan said he would be happy to discuss the issue, but stopped short of recommending that Ministers reject pay rises.

"I can also understand the public's concern that we shouldn't have that big a gap. I don't think we need huge incentives actually for public service work like this," he told TV3's The Political Party.

"I'll work with my Cabinet colleagues. There were suggestions in the papers today coming from Fianna Fáil sources that, you know, we should look at that. I am quite happy to go back and talk with my Cabinet colleagues."

A spokesman for Mr Ahern said there was no plan to revisit the issue, given that Government accepted it two weeks ago.