Jillian van Turnhout (Independent)

We are discussing a group of amendments, of which amendments No. 29 is one. I am of the view that all allowances should be fully vouched. This is the first occasion on which I have been obliged to deal with different people in the context of different aspects of my income. In a normal job, one is given a contract of employment and one deals with a single entity such as a salaries section or whatever. As a Senator, however, I am obliged to deal with the one-stop-shop here in the Oireachtas and also with the Department of Finance, which is unusual. We tabled amendment No. 29 because we are of the view that all the allowances we receive should be vouched. We should be obliged to be accountable in respect of these allowances. When I sought guidance on the allowance, I discovered that the only form available relates to political parties. I decided to follow that guidance and, for the record, I have returned to the Minister for Finance, in the form of a cheque I wrote at the end of January, the unspent portion of the party leaders' allowance I received in 2011. I am transparent when it comes to my work and the amendment does not suggest doing anything which I would not be prepared to do myself. The amendment provides the opportunity to address the anomaly that exists and I am of the view we should receive the support of all Senators in respect of it.