The Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, published the review into senior public service recruitment and pay processes. As part of that, he agreed to the re-establishment of a senior public pay remuneration committee. I read the report and much of it makes sense, including reducing the potential term of Secretaries General from a possible ten years to seven and allowing them to continue in the Civil Service after they have completed their terms. However, a driving factor for this committee and something that is now in the hands of the Government is the wish for those who are already on very high pay, including Secretaries General and CEOs of semi-State companies, to have pay increases. These people are on €150,000, €200,000 or €300,000 and are looking for substantial pay increases. Will the Government concede to those pay increases at a time of cost-of-living crisis or will it maintain the pay ceiling, for example, for semi-State organisations?

The Government has not made any decision on pay increases for senior civil servants or the CEOs of State companies. That is not to say that requests are not made. People at all levels will look for pay increases, particularly when general pay is rising across the economy and the cost of living is also rising. Any decision we make will be subject to recommendations from an independent review. That review has not yet taken place. We need to be cognisant that, as is the case across the economy, there is a significant demand in the context of recruitment and retention. We are increasing pay at all levels, including a more than 7% increase in the national minimum wage this year. There will also be a pay increase for public servants. It will be in that context that any cap might be increased.