Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

We must consider people with the same level of responsibility in the private sector. We have already lost one, who was much better remunerated before he was persuaded to come and work with a Cabinet Minister, to the private sector. He could not stay because he was head-hunted back. We want people of that calibre to work within our public services, to guide us back. I know this jars with people who are struggling - I appreciate that. However, I would prefer to stand up here and defend a salary scale that most people find difficult to accept than to make the wrong set of decisions that would ruin our country and cost us millions or even billions.

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