Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I am delighted to hear the Taoiseach talking about sovereign decisions. If we had supported the Lisbon treaty, we would have lost a considerable amount of sovereignty in making decisions. Perhaps the Taoiseach is right to argue we should let that go. Is the Taoiseach satisfied there is an absolute need for 20 Ministers of State? Is he satisfied that all those positions are warranted? At a time when he is telling the rest of us to tighten our belts, is he satisfied it is absolutely necessary to have 20 Ministers of State? During these difficult times, we are facing pay freezes — the devil and all. Is he totally satisfied that all the Ministers of State are giving us value for money?

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