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

I wish to make one point on the section and I intend to table an amendment in that regard on Report Stage. It is slightly unusual and relates to the Ceann Comhairle. Subsection (8) provides that the parliamentary activities allowance payment shall not be paid in respect of the Ceann Comhairle. The Ceann Comhairle is usually elected as a member of a party. It shall not be paid in respect of the period of office of the Ceann Comhairle as a Member of Dáil Éireann: "(a) other than as a member of a qualifying party, or (b) as a member of a qualifying party but was the only member of the qualifying party so elected." It appears that if the Ceann Comhairle is elected as a member of a party, that party will continue in the lifetime of the Dáil to draw the allowance for the Ceann Comhairle even though, by definition, his post should be above party politics. There is something not quite right in the Fine Gael Party, in this case, being able to draw a parliamentary activities allowance in respect of a person who has been elected by the Dáil to be absolutely neutral. The amount is not phenomenal.

The provision goes on to refer to where the person was a member of a qualifying party, but was the only member. My reading of that is that if a Ceann Comhairle was an Independent Member or non-party Member of the Dáil, no allowance would be paid as he or she would now be Ceann Comhairle, so the money is lost. If there was a tight situation in the Dáil and the Government had a very narrow majority and it picked an Independent Member to be Ceann Comhairle, no payment would be payable under the parliamentary allowance system for that person, but if the person elected Ceann Comhairle is a member of a party, the allowance is paid. Given that we accept that if the Ceann Comhairle is an Independent Member or non-party Member no allowance is payable, it would be better for the independence of the Ceann Comhairle if the same principle applied if the Ceann Comhairle is a member of a party. It is the Fine Gael Party now and it could be our party, hopefully, or any party some time in the future, but I do not consider it right that an allowance of €60,000, or whatever the figure is, can be drawn down in respect of the Ceann Comhairle. The Ceann Comhairle should be removed from the equation.

Does the Minister understand my point?