The President’s spokesman has confirmed the news.
Michael D. Higgins will not be taking a pay rise according to The Sunday Times.
The President has decided to forego getting an increase in his salary which currently amounts to €249,014 to entice TDs to follow suit and not take home a salary increase.
Under the Lansdowne Road agreement, TDs are entitled to a pay rise of €2,700 on April 1st 2017 which is then followed by another raise of €2,700 in January 2018.
Unfortunately, the constitution stops the government interfering with a President’s salary but a spokesman for Mr. Higgns confirmed that the President would not be asking for the full restoration of pay.
The cabinet recently agreed to forego their pay increases of €4,000 a year and there has been increasing pressure on TDs to not accept their pay rises – with a protest against the pay rises scheduled for November 16 in Dublin.
Among politicians who have spoken out against the pay rises are Mary Lou McDonald, Gerry Adams, the Social Democrats and Fine Gael TD Noel Rock.
