Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I am advised by a colleague that she has met the Sinn Féin leader in the first class section. Perhaps he was only passing through.

If we intend to be realistic and not hypocritical, can the Minister outline the position with all those politicians who appear to live on very high moral ground and claim they do not accept their salaries, but live on the minimum wage and transfer tens of thousands of euro per annum to their political parties? What is the legal situation of a Deputy transferring €30,000 to €50,000 of their salary to their political party? I believe it is illegal. The politicians who claim that they do not take their full salary should enter into a covenant or arrangement with the Department of Finance whereby the balance of their salaries is returned to the taxpayer. They are committing an illegal act in transferring €60,000 or €70,000 per annum to their political parties, as they claim to be doing. If they can live without that money, they should return it to the taxpayer for the general good of the economy rather than use it for political purposes.