TD's double basic salary since 1997

TDs' pay has doubled since Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats came to power.

When all pay, which includes that for ministers, office holders, MEPs etc is added up, the total average spend by the taxpayer on each TD is €115,000.

And that is before they claim for generous expenses and other allowances.

The 'minimum wage' for a TD has doubled to almost €92,000 since 1997 when the new long-service allowance is included.

But only a handful earn that. Most enjoy a major salary boost thanks to extra allowances for being ministers, or serving on committees, or special party responsibilities.

The startling increase in political remuneration is revealed in the first comprehensive study of the salaries of all 166 TDs carried out by the Irish Independent.

And there will be more hikes before the next election.

The level of TDs' pay is highlighted as talks on a new national pay agreement begin today.

The Government is telling workers that double digit pay increases are not on the cards. Yet TDs' wages are now linked to principal officers in the civil service, so they, too, will benefit from the outcome of the pay talks.

TDs got more wage hikes than any other public sector workers as a result of two special pay reviews.

The salary details are based entirely upon documents released under the Freedom of Information Act from the Houses of the Oireachtas and figures from the Department of Finance.

The basic rate of pay for a TD in July 1997 was €45,729. Today it is €88,556.

However, these figures are not directly comparable, as long service bonuses were introduced in the meantime and 70pc of all TDs are entitled to benefit from these.

TDs with seven years service in Leinster House are paid €91,382 and those with 10 years service get €94,205.

When the numbers entitled to the long service bonuses are factored in, the average basic pay works out at €92,112 - double the basic rate in 1997. This is before the additional wages are added into the mix.

The figures show that 70 out of the 166 TDs now earn more than €100,000. Just 18 TDs are paid the bottom rate of €88,556 and the remainder benefit from a range of additional payments including: Ministers (€110,488), Junior ministers (€48,215), Oireachtas committee chairs (€17,698), Oireachtas committee vice-chairs (€9,051), Oireachtas committee whips (€5,639).

Office holders, members of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission and party whips all get additional sums.

The salary increases over the past nine years have come from the Partnership 2000 national wage deal, Programme for Prosperity and Fairness wage deal, Sustaining Progress wage deal, Public Service Benchmarking Body, and the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector.

Hikes

TDs are the only public sector workers to benefit from the pay review process for top civil servants and benchmarking, as well as partnership agreements.

In industrial relations circles this has been described as a 'double whammy'.

No other public sector group was ever allowed to benefit from these two special pay reports, which were separate.

Aside from the basic pay, there have also been substantial hikes in allowances, travel expenses, office grants, pension, gratuity and severance payments.

The pay increases are defended by both Government and opposition parties who point to the long hours of work put in by politicians.

Finance Minister Brian Cowen says they do not set their own pay rates as it is an independent process.

The Minister believes the issue has to be debated in that context, his spokesman said. "The pay increases for parliamentarians, TDs and Ministers have always been independently reviewed," he said.

Fine Gael chief whip Paul Kehoe described the pay as "generous" but said TDs do have to work hard in return at both a local and national level. TDs work from early in the morning until late at night, six or seven days a week, and it is expected that they attend numerous meetings, he said.