1. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update on the semi-State companies which have received his ministerial approval to deliver pay increases for their CEOs. [74675/26]
TDs / Mairéad Farrell
Mairéad Farrell
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Will the Minister give us an update on the semi-State companies which have received approval to deliver pay increases for CEOs?
Last week, the CEO of Uisce Éireann was in front of the Committee of Public Accounts. There was a discussion about his €118,000 bumper pay hike. An awful lot of people thought that his wage increased to €118,000, not that it increased by €118,000, to €392,000 - an extraordinary sum by any measure but in the context of the cost-of-living crisis and ordinary workers being forced to go out on strike just to get anything…
My question remains: does the Minister think it is appropriate? Does he think a €392,000 salary is appropriate? Does he think that an increase of €118,000 is appropriate? Is it appropriate at any period in time, but in particular is it appropriate when we have a situation where the Government literally refused to sit down with the representatives of the workers who keep this State ticking? It refused to sit down with…
3. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to give an update on the way in which public expenditure within budget 2027 will impact on workers and families struggling with the cost-of-living. [74674/26]
Can the Minister update the House on how public expenditure within budget 2027 will impact on workers and families struggling with the cost of living? I noticed that he used the term "a better State". I like that term but I hope it is something we can achieve. I know it is a bit off topic. I am concerned it will not be if everyone is struggling with the cost of living, as they are.
I was there on budget day when the Minister went through the measures. There was an expectation on budget day that something would shift and there would be a change for people in terms of the immense pressure they are under. I do not recall in my few years in the Dáil there ever being quite as much focus on what would come out of budget day in the hope that it would help people. People were let down. They felt genuin…
The Minister can talk about my priorities but I will talk about his. The ESRI was in front of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight this week. A key thing it speaks about is child poverty. We keep hearing that child poverty is a core objective of this Government. If it is one of its core objectives, it is failing miserably on it because 22.7% of children live in poverty once housing costs are included. That is an outr…
4. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to give an update on the progress of a new public sector pay agreement. [74673/26]
I ask the Minister if he can give an update on the public pay deal. I understand he is not going to be able to give us the intricacies of what is happening but perhaps a broader overview would be helpful. Obviously, this question was submitted with a deadline of last Friday when we were unsure as to what would happen with the public sector pay deal.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I would not expect or want him to break that confidentiality. The fact that we are having talks now is to be welcomed and is extremely important. It has been on my mind for some time to ask the Minister what shifted for him. Why did he decide now to take the action to meet with these unions? On a broader point, one of the narratives that was out there was always in relation to the union…
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I am glad he changed his mind. I was looking at this from the sidelines, but it did not seem to me that there was a shift in his views. At the eleventh hour, two hours before the strike was to begin, it seemed that he committed to pay being the first item in the negotiations. The following day, we had Government spokespeople out on the airwaves who were contradicting that. However, I am…
Hear, hear.
Is he allowed to say "lie"?
Earlier today, the Minister claimed that the Government has a mandate to remove the triple lock. To be honest, I find that to be an astonishing claim. Every single opinion poll repeatedly shows overwhelming public support for our neutrality and for retaining the triple lock. Even a majority of the Government parties' voters want to see it protected. The Government has never sought a mandate to weaken our neutrality. …
Since the Taoiseach took office, he has been hell-bent on dismantling our neutrality. His first step on this is dismantling and scrapping the triple lock. Before he was Taoiseach, he believed in the centrality of the triple lock in terms of our neutrality and I completely agree with him on that. Since becoming Taoiseach, he has changed his mind. I find this very convenient. I ask him to ask the people whether they ha…
I am 5 ft.
I did not interrupt.
I have an issue with that.
I did not interrupt the Taoiseach, to be very clear. It was a question that I asked-----
-----and I am not intimidating. I have an issue with the Taoiseach saying that.
Last week, Ireland was united in grief at the devastating news of the deaths of Philip, Kim, Callum and Jayden English. Equally, we were united in horror at the circumstances of their deaths and how this brutality could occur. I think I speak for all of us when I say our thoughts remain with the two children injured in this horrendous attack.
Our shared anger, shock and grief must mean that we in this Dáil do someth…
Yesterday, I stood proudly alongside our striking public sector workers on picket lines. I listened to hardworking people who did not want to be on strike. These are people who have dedicated their lives to delivering the services we all use every single day but who have been ignored by this Government and left with no other choice. These workers are on strike because they cannot afford a decent life anymore. Their w…
Last week was really hard for people. People had been holding out on getting oil since the spring, expecting that something would happen in the budget that would allow them to get a fill of oil, to be able to put the heating back on and to live a good quality of life in their homes. Not being able to put on the heating is not conducive to a good quality of life. Straight after the budget was announced, I got loads of…
Hear, hear.