The Health Minister says his priority is to employ more staff in the health service, and not increase wages.
However Leo Varadkar says he does support pay restoration to public servants.
His comments follow reports that the country's 300,000 public sector workers are in line for a windfall of more than €800 through tax cuts and pay rises.
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Talks on pay restoration in the public sector will get underway between Government representatives and unions next week.
Speaking to Clare FM outside an IMPACT conference in Ennis, Minister Varadkar had this to say about pay restoration:
