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

I move amendment No. 14:

In page 4, line 21, to delete “one-third” and substitute “one-half”.

This amendment follows closely on the question of the proportionality of the allowance per Member and the difference between the allowances payable to parties in government and parties in opposition. Everybody recognises and the original legislation recognised that there should be a reduction by one third of the allowance payable to parties in government. My amendment would change the reduction from one third to one half on the basis that when the original legislation was introduced 50 or 60 years ago, we probably had a much more streamlined government and public service at the time. We now have more special advisers and others in ministerial offices. We have greater press offices attached to all Ministers' offices. There is a substantial Government Information Service. The level of State support through the civil and public service available to the Government has increased over the decades since the one-third reduction for Government Members was introduced. A reduction of one half would be reflective of the greater level of support the Government now receives from the Civil Service than it would have received heretofore. Because the principle was recognised from day one, since the original legislation was passed, and the functioning of government has changed quite a bit, we should revisit the proportion of the reduction for Government parties.