The Cabinet will meet tomorrow morning to discuss accepting the garda pay deal.

They are unlikely to reject the Labour Court ruling, but there could be disagreement over where the extra money will come from.

The recommendations have sparked debate among other public sector unions, who are also calling for their members’ pay to be reexamined.

Speaking in Brussels, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said they simply can’t restore all pay at the moment: “So the procedure now is that Minister Paschal Donohoe will be taking soundings with the wider trade union movement and the Government’s position is that the settlement is still with Lansdowne Road and we will proceed from there.”