McAleese follows Cabinet lead with 10% pay cut

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese has followed the Government’s lead and announced that she will take a 10% pay cut.

Ms McAleese earns €325,508 a year. The reduction will see her salary fall by €32,550 to just under €293,000.

The President’s office relayed the decision to the Government yesterday morning from Norway, where Mrs McAleese is on a state visit which is due to conclude today.

Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue also announced yesterday he will take a 10% cut.

Mr O’Donoghue earns €225,195 a year, which will fall by €22,519 to circa €202,600.

The Government announced the 10% pay cut for ministers, junior ministers and the secretaries-general of the 15 Government departments in Tuesday’s budget, and appealed to others in senior positions to follow their lead.

The move means that Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s salary of €285,582 will fall by €28,558 to roughly €257,000.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan earns €245,324 and will see that salary fall by over €24,532 to just under €221,000.

Ministers are in the same salary bracket as Mr O’Donoghue, and so will see their salaries of €225,195 fall by €22,519 to circa €202,600.

Junior ministers will each see their existing pay of €154,740 fall by €15,474 to just over €139,000.

The pay cut will take effect from November 1.

However, the pay cut won’t affect the pensions of those involved.

The Department of Finance yesterday confirmed that the pensions of the ministers and secretaries-general would continue to be calculated on their current wage, rather than the reduced wage from November.