Kenny gets to work on first cuts

Cormac Murphy

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny has hit the ground running, cutting ministers' pay and transport costs.

The Departments of Justice and Transport -- as well as the Office of Public Works -- have been instructed to come up with proposals to cut expenditure on ministerial transport.

The Taoiseach's pay is to be cut from €214,187 to €200,000 -- a 6.5pc reduction -- and other rates are to be cut in line with that.

Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore's pay is to fall from €197,486 to €184,405.

Ministers' pay has been reduced from €181,283 to €169,275, while pay for Ministers of State is cut from €139,266 to €130,042.

The new Cabinet was brought from Leinster House to Aras an Uachtarain by minibus, rather than using ministerial cars.

However, Fianna Fail's Dara Calleary dismissed the moves as "optics".

comurphy@herald.ie