Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Last Friday, I met a former community employment, CE, scheme supervisor who had retired. After 30 years of service, his lump sum was €17,000. It is unbelievable that someone who gave 30 years of his life to public service would finish up with that. That case brought me back to the issue of county councillors. Everybody in this Chamber, or at least 43 of us, has a strong interest in county councillors.I cannot understand why, when the allowance was increased, provision was not made for the lump sum to be calculated on the current allowance. Instead, it is calculated on the allowance that existed previously. It is the only sector of the public service I know of where one can have the lump sum reduced to an earlier allowance. It is wrong in every sense. I will be asking the Cathaoirleach to facilitate a Commencement matter on this issue. I am asking all of my colleagues to sign that Commencement matter. This is outrageous. Many of the councillors who have served this country for 30 or 40 years are due to retire before the next election. Not only will we send them away with a reduced entitlement, but in some cases we will subject it to tax as well. This happens nowhere else in the public service. We have to get behind our electorate and look after them. I make no apology to anybody for saying that.