FINANCE MINISTER Brian Lenihan has said his own Cabinet colleagues – and top civil servants – will take a hit along with the rest of the country.

The budget is the first step in the €15bn in cuts that will be imposed as part of the government’s four-year plan, under the watchful eyes of the IMF and the EU.

Minister Lenihan announced that

• The government will reduce the Taoiseach’s salary by €14,000 per annum while ministers’ pay will be cut by €10,000 per year. That means that Brian Cowen is down €90,000 on his pre-budget salary, Lenihan explained. The Tanaiste’s salary will also be reduced, by €11,000.
• There will also be changes to the transport arrangements for ministers, he said. One of the government’s jets is to be decommissioned, a second one will not be replaced while car usage by former taoisigh and presidents is to be pooled and the number of gardai assigned to this work reduced.
• Lenihan says that there will be a cap of €250,000 per annum for civil servants’ salaries. He admits that the proposal may be tricky to impose in the case of some incumbents but insists that the Finance Minister – as a shareholder – can force this through.
• The minister complimented the efforts, since this crisis began, of President Mary McAleese who has agreed to a slash in her salary but explained that the €250k cap will apply to the next president.
• Public service pensions above €12,000 per year will be reduced by an average of 4%, while those below will be exempted.
• There will be a 10% cut in the pay for new entrants to the public service and changes to new entrant’s pension entitlements.