O'Dea says pay issue may be revisited

Updated: 20:31, Tuesday, 6 November 2007

The Minister for Defence, Willie O'Dea, has acknowledged public unease about the scale of pay increases awarded to the Taoiseach and Cabinet ministers.

1 of 1Willie O'Dea - Acknowledged public unease about scale of pay increases
Willie O'Dea - Acknowledged public unease about scale of pay increases

Mr O'Dea said the issue was now very likely to be revisited by the Cabinet this week.

The Taoiseach 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.

The Minister declined to state his own view, adding he would prefer to give it at Cabinet.

Speaking on tonight's 'The Week in Politics' the Minister said: 'If it comes up before the Cabinet we'll all have an input and thrash it out and see what the possibilities are.'

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 appears to ordinary people to be unjustified.'

His comments come after an opinion poll showing a big drop in support for Fianna Fáil and in the approval rating for the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

Asked about the position of Mr Ahern as leader of the party and Taoiseach, the Minister said his information was that Mr Ahern intention to stand down on the other side of the local and European elections in 2009.

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