Ministers return €16k allowance but still get over €10k each in wage increase

Jack Chambers Government Chief Whip arriving for the Cabinet Meeting in Dublin Castle this afternoon. Photo: Stephen Collins /Collins Photos Dublin

The government's three "super-junior" ministers will "waive and gift back" their  €16,000 pay rise.
The announcement was made on Tuesday after a week of sustained criticism from opposition politicians and the public.

A statement read: "The three Junior Ministers who sit at Cabinet, Jack Chambers, Hildegarde Naughton and Pippa Hackett have decided to waive and gift back to the state the increased allocation.