Following today’s Cabinet meeting, Alan Shatter TD, Minster for Justice,
Equality and Defence said “I welcome the decision made today by Cabinet
agreeing to my proposal that the Referendum on Judicial pay be held to
coincide with the upcoming Presidential election. This is a major decision
taken by Cabinet following on from the substantial work I have been engaged
in on this issue since my appointment. Further work will now be undertaken
by the Attorney General who has confirmed that the necessary work can be
processed in the timeframe agreed”
Salaries across the public service were reduced in accordance with the
provisions of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act
2009 and the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2)
Act 2009. Although a majority of the judiciary voluntarily contributed
sums equivalent to the pension levy, under Article 35.3 of our
Constitution, Judicial salaries were exempted from these reductions.
The Referendum to amend Article 35.5 of the Constitution, if passed, will
result in salary reductions impacting on judicial salaries to the same
extent as others on similar salary levels in the public service. It will
also provide for reductions in the pay of judges in accordance to any
future reductions in pay in the public service that are made in the public
interest.
Minister Shatter said “There can be no question, no doubt, that the
independence of the judiciary is the cornerstone of our constitutional
democracy but it is important that the judiciary is seen by the rest of the
community to be playing its part in recognising the economic difficulties
of this State and the particular difficulties that are attached to the
public finances. In no sense should the general public believe that the
judiciary are an elite or are immune from the economic cataclysm that has
hit this country. The Amendment will not allow the judiciary alone to be
singled out or targeted for any pay reduction that is unrelated to any
reduction in pay in the public service generally and so will not impact on
the independence of the judiciary.”