Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I welcome the opportunity to make a contribution on the Bill. Under its terms, ministerial pensions paid to serving Deputies, Senators and MEPs will be cut by 25% and will then be abolished completely after the next general election. For the rest of this Dáil term, instead of getting 50% as a pension, serving Members will get 37.5% - the poor things, we should really feel sorry for them. Does the Government want to give them a pat on the back? Should those people standing for hours in queues for social welfare congratulate these public representatives?

My issue with this Bill is why the pension is not being scrapped entirely. So what if there is a legal challenge? The Minister should face them down and take them on. As was said earlier by Deputy Bruton, while we have not seen the legal opinion the Minister received, it seems dubious. It would seem that those Members of the Oireachtas who are in receipt of the pension are coining it in anticipation of its complete abolition following the next general election. These pensions are, I suppose, a nice little earner so why would they want to give it up? I must qualify that comment by-----

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