Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to make a brief point following on from our discussion earlier. It is an observation to think about more than a direct question. We speak about office accommodation being provided in Leinster House for Deputies whose staff are based here. That is fine and I have no issue with that. I am just trying to separate them from those who are claiming. I am also following on from questions asked by the Chairman. He asked if anybody had checked out the cost of running a constituency operation, whether in Dublin 4 or west Cork. The cost might be different. I would link that to the remarks made by Mr. Watt.

There has been about a 10% reduction in public service numbers in recent years. Even in the Civil Service, the numbers have dropped by about 3,000. Let me make a suggestion as a cost saving measure in regard to expenses for Deputies. It is something I have suggested publicly on a number of occasions previously. If Deputies choose to have their staff based in Leinster House, that is fine but if Deputies do not, they should be allocated space in government or a local government office in their constituency.

Some 3,000 staff have left the Civil Service. It was said that 127 of us have claimed a grant for setting up a constituency office. I can think of no constituency where there would not be space in a government office, a Department which has been decentralised or a local council office. We might not even need to go to the HSE. A formula could be worked out that a Deputy is entitled to 1,200 sq. ft of office space to cover staff and meet members of the public. That could be allocated to a Deputy. I believe there is excess space and probably excess furniture as a result of the 3,000 staff who have left.

Some people might resist this and say the Deputy must be independent of the public service because sometimes we must battle with public servants and we do not want to meet them in the canteen at lunch time. However, there is an opportunity, if people think outside the box, to provide space in public buildings. There would be no basis whatsoever for Deputies to submit any expenses, vouched or unvouched, for constituency offices. It would result in a major saving and a rationalisation of locations. It could be done at minimal cost and it would remove Deputies from the process entirely. People would see one's office in a government building in a town. I am sure the OPW could offer a suite of facilities with the required space and suitable for any Deputy.

We are in an unusual position. To do our job as semi-public servants, we have to source and pay for our own office accommodation, desks and telephones and then put in a claim. No one else in the public service is expected to provide their own accommodation and seek reimbursement for the cost of providing their own telephone and photocopier. We should be offered facilities in a government office in our constituencies. It would remove this item from the debate. I ask Mr. Watt to think about that.