Heat on TDs as President Higgins rejects pay rise

TDs are under mounting pressure to forgo a pay increase after President Michael D Higgins said he would not take a salary hike.

Although ministers have agreed not to accept pay increases due to them under the unwinding of the FEMPI legislation, no such decision has been made with regards to TDs, who are due to see their pay rise by €5,400 over the next two years.

Sinn Féin have now lodged a Dáil motion to block pay restoration for TDs, which is linked to rises for senior civil servants due under the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

A march in protest of any wage increases to TDs has also been organised for Dublin on November 16.

TDs currently earn a basic salary of €87,258, which is linked to the salary scale of a principal officer in the civil service.

Under the Lansdowne Road Agreement, they are due to see their pay restored.

Fine Gael TD Noel Rock has already said he will not be accepting the pay rises.

There has been much public criticism of the pay increases in recent weeks and the commitment of President Higgins to decline a salary increase will further pressurise TDs.

President Higgins, who earns €249,014, has also given his Dáil pensions back to the State.

A spokesman for the president said: “In November 2011 President Michael D Higgins advised the Government of his intention to donate 23.5% of his salary to the State.

“Similarly, the President donates his Oireachtas pension entitlements to the State. During his term in office, President Higgins has not drawn down, and will not draw down any pension entitlements arising from his previous services as member of the Oireachtas or as a Government minister,” the spokesman said.

“That situation has not changed and the President has not sought to change it.”

It has been reported that the State has received more than €1m back from President Higgins’ gifting of salary and pension provisions since he entered the Áras.