Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
765. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the existing requirements for new hires in local authorities to start at the lowest end of the pay scale for any role; his views on whether this may act as a disincentive for candidates to apply for these roles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11672/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra766. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the existing hiring policy within local authorities that requires new hires to start of the bottom of the pay scale for any particular role; his views on whether this acts as a barrier to unfair competition compared to internal hires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11673/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 765 and 766 together.
Overall pay policy is set across the public sector by the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (M/PEIPSRD). On 23 December 2010, the Department of Finance (now (D/PER) issued a letter to the Secretaries General of all Government Departments confirming Government policy that starting pay on recruitment from open competition should be at the minimum of the relevant salary scale. In that letter, it was confirmed that this policy applied for all posts within the public service, including the local government sector. All competition notices, advertisements and information booklets must specify that starting pay will be at the minimum of the scale. Such notices and booklets must also specify that the rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.
In furtherance of this correspondence, in January 2011, my Department conveyed this instruction through Circular EL02/2011 to all local authorities. It is open to a Chief Executive to make a business case to my Department should they feel a candidate's experience warrants a higher placing on a pay scale; however this is something that is only used in exceptional cases.
Following a policy change from the DPEIPSRD, my Department conveyed an instruction to local authorities through Circular EL05/2016 that, with effect from 1 February 2016, where the appointee has been serving elsewhere in the public service in an analogous grade and pay-scale, and will be moving without break to another part of the public sector at an analogous grade, the appointment may be made at the appointee’s current point of scale.
Circular EL 04/2024 in the Local Sector relates to starting pay on recruitment through open competition to the Public Sector where the appointment of existing Public Servants from the EEA, UK and Switzerland are serving in analogous grades. This is effective from 1 January 2018. Its purpose is to confirm that public servants, serving elsewhere in the EEA, UK and Switzerland, appointed to an analogous grade in the Local Authority Sector through an open competition may be appointed at their current public service euro salary from the public service post the individual is leaving. Where an appointee’s current salary is not an exact match in respect of incremental points, the appointee will be appointed on an off point. The appointee will retain the increment date from the previous role.
