Cabinet approves controversial pay increase for judges and whips
That To Have Pensions Judicial The Irish “restored” To Been Also Cuts Confirmed Have Examiner, Sources
Opposition party whips and the judiciary have been given a pay increase by the Cabinet, one week after the Government rejected a motion to pay student nurses.
For some opposition whips the stipend paid on top of their €97,000 a year salary has been doubled.
At its weekly meeting, ministers approved plans to award the judiciary a pay increase in line with other rises in the public sector.
While the matter was approved, senior ministerial sources have expressed some “angst and unease” about the decision so soon after the Government rejected the motion to increase nurses' pay.
Sources have also confirmed to the , that cuts to judicial pensions have been “restored”.
Ministers also gave their consent to an increased allowance for the party whips, who act as convenors for their parties in the Dáil.
It is believed an increase from €10,000 to €19,000 for the Sinn Féin whip Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has been signed off on, and the assistant Sinn Féin whip will receive an increase from €5,000 to €9,500.
Under the new payment scheme, the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil whips will receive €10,000.
For the smaller parties, the Green Party, Labour, Solidarity/People Before Profit and the Social Democrats whips will receive a €6,000 allowance, ministers have said.
The three “super junior” ministers who sit at the Cabinet table will from today share €32,000 worth of allowances between them.
This is opposed to getting a €16,000 allowance each.