Mr. Robert Watt:

We have sent information to the committee in terms of the cost of the leader's allowance. I think it cost €7.4 million in 2011. The payments for Independent Deputies averaged between €39,000 and €34,000. As the Deputy specified, the system as it pertains to Independents is different from the allowances which fund the political parties. This is a matter for our Minister. I have written to the committee on his behalf stating that he would welcome the views of this committee in this regard and that he has given an undertaken to look at the question of the leader's allowance. As the Deputy can appreciate, civil servants like me prefer to keep out of discussions on how the political system is funded. That is only right and proper, but the Minister has welcomed inputs from this committee. He is undertaking a review and he has made that clear. He may have mentioned that when he came before the committee on the previous occasion.