Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

——we would not have this major problem dealing with our welfare claims. It is unacceptable for the Minister, Deputy O'Dea, and others to have six civil servants doing their constituency work. The Minister, Deputy O'Dea, also has two full-time drivers. Using civil servants on varying pay scales to carry out Ministers' constituency work is, in effect, a raiding of the public purse by Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and the Minister, Deputy Harney, in an effort to enhance their chances of re-election. Nobody would object to any Minister having a single civil servant to do his or her work, but I do not think they are worth six each. That is going beyond the norm. The five additional civil servants are the equivalent of five nurses, midwives or gardaí, or any of the other front line public servants that are urgently needed. I enthusiastically support the Labour Party motion.

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