James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

The people are waking up to the inequality in our society. Freedom of information legislation has done a lot to make people aware that former Ministers who are currently Members of the Oireachtas have enjoyed the benefits of two incomes. That such system is in place for the abuse of public money is beyond belief. Of course, we can also see a politician with the benefit of a State car claiming "turning up" money.

It has taken the economic downturn to alert people to the fact we live in a two tier society. It is incredible the Government repeatedly tells us that everyone must share the pain while rubbing people's nose in it by drawing a second salary that is worth more than many middle or low income families earn in a year. It is certainly worth more than the benefits the 15,000 unemployed in Longford-Westmeath receive, and the 450,000 unemployed across the State.

The only light at the end of the tunnel is the fact that the Government is divided on the outcome. The leader of the Green Party, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, has been outspoken on the issue, publicly supporting the elimination of these pensions. It will be interesting to see how he and his party vote on this motion tomorrow. Can he not support Fine Gael and retain a vestige of credibility?

It is beyond belief that the Government should impose harsh cutbacks on the least well off in society while its members were secure in the knowledge they were being paid on the double. The new awareness people are gaining and their instinctive begrudging of those on the gravy train is sowing the seeds of a revolution.

The bankers and some developers who lived off the fat of the land are also guilty of untold greed that has brought the country to its knees. They should be behind bars but they are not because they are supported by their cronies in this Government, the people who attended the Fianna Fáil tent at the Galway Races. They are entitled to cream money off, leaving nothing for the hard working, low paid citizens of the State. There is no NAMA for those young people who are unable to pay their mortgages. They are, instead, hounded by the banks that virtually forced the loans on them.

The members of the Judiciary are highly paid civil servants but are exempt from pension levies and salary cutbacks. They have achieved this by hiding behind the Constitution and are part of the "I'm all right Jack" mentality that expects the most vulnerable to pay for their security. I have heard it said that they are "entitled". Why should those struggling to make ends meet see the Judiciary escape the pension levy, particularly as it would not noticeably affect their standard of living, while it is crippling for those on lower and middle incomes?

The Government amendment to the motion, even by the standards we have come to expect from it, is laughable. It is extraordinary spin that defends the Government's actions on the matter under discussion, bleating that we must take notice of its actions to deal with the economic crisis. It wants us to recognise the budgetary measures taken by the Government. It is waffle and more spin from the Government, something it has been good at for the last 12 years but now it is coming back to haunt them.

When the amendment gets to the point, it notes that many sitting Members of the Oireachtas and the European Parliament have given up their ministerial pensions. This does not make clear that outside pressure, particularly from Fine Gael, made politicians give up these pensions.

It is interesting that the Taoiseach quotes the Constitution on these delicate matters. It is not possible under the Constitution to abolish these pensions, he claims, or to impose cutbacks on the judiciary, or to introduce legislation to cease payment of ministerial pensions to sitting Members of the Oireachtas. It reminds me of the proverb that the devil can quote scripture for his own ends.

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