Irish judges paid more than British counterparts

HIGH COURT judges in Ireland are paid more than their counterparts in England and Wales, the review body report found.

However, it said that when the comparison was made on an adjusted income basis to take account of other benefits as well as taxation and purchasing power, high court judges in England and Wales were ahead of those in Ireland.

The review body said that if it was not for the constitutional prohibition on a reduction in pay of members of the judiciary, it would have considered a downward adjustment in the salary of a High Court judge.

“It was difficult to find valid comparators for a High Court judge across the countries under review, save in the case of the high court in England and Wales. The legal systems across Europe differ in their nature and structure from that of Ireland and differ also in the training and career paths of judges,” the report states.

In the budget, Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan said that the Government had decided that there would be no increase in judge’s pay during the lifetime of the current administration. Future governments could choose whether or not to continue with such a course of action, he said.