Under pressure judges to agree pay cuts

FACING mounting pressure, the country’s top judge has said more of his colleagues will volunteer to pay the pension levy.

Chief Justice John Murray made his unorthodox statement after a day in which the cabinet and opposition politicians rounded on the judiciary.

He said while just one in eight judges had offered to partake in the levy scheme, this was because it had not been in place long enough.

Earlier, government ministers and Dáil deputies queued up to question why just 19 out of 148 judges had entered into agreements with the Revenue Commissioners to pay the same pension levy as public servants.

Chief Justice Murray also criticised commentators who had suggested the constitutional clause, preventing judges having their salaries cut, was being manipulated.

He said judges had only received documents from Revenue on May 11 and a failure to pay already did not mean they were ignoring it.

“Unfair and misleading statements have been made concerning the position of the judiciary such as to the effect that all those who have not yet made a voluntary contribution have refused to do so.

“Although the making of contributions is necessarily voluntary and the decision of each judge with regard to them must be a matter for him or her, I expect that as the arrangements put in place by the Revenue Commissioners are allowed to operate... there will be a strong and continuous participation in it,” he said.

Ordinarily judges do not comment on public controversies, to maintain the independence of the judiciary, but this was an exceptional circumstance, he said.

Last night, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the Government welcomed the arrangement put in place by the Chief Justice.

“It is not correct to say that those judges who have not yet made a contribution have refused to do so,” he said, adding it was “for each member of the judiciary to decide whether to make such a contribution”.

Throughout the day Mr Cowen’s cabinet had piled pressure on the judges.

Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin said they were in positions people looked up to and should act accordingly, while Environment Minister John Gormley said judges had a “moral responsibility” to pay up. Their statements followed Defence Minister Willie O’Dea and Health Minister Mary Harney who criticised the hesitancy of the judiciary.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said the judges should be given time.

After the statement, Fine Gael’s justice spokesman Charles Flanagan said the onus was now on individual judges to show leadership.

Chief Justice John Murray is paid €295,915 a year while, at the lower end of the pay scale, district court judges earn €144,352.