The Cabinet is expected to discuss the report of the Public Service Pay Commission this morning.

The report is expected to be published by the commission this afternoon.

The findings will be central to planned pay talks for a successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

Unlike previous comparisons between public and private sector pay, the Government has insisted this is not benchmarking - and does not necessarily mean wholescale pay hikes for public sector workers.

A key element of the report will be the commission's verdict on pensions, which are deemed to be more generous than those available to private sector workers.

Another important recommendation will be what the commission says about the lower levels of pay introduced for new entrants in some sectors - such as nursing and teaching - during the crisis.

The minority Government hopes to get talks with unions underway as early as next week.

However, ministers will be keen to point out that there is not a huge amount of money available for pay restoration or increases.

Last month, the Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) - which represents executive grades in the public sector -suggested it will be looking for an additional €1.6 billion for civil servants in the talks, including €1.4bn in pay restoration.