Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I support the Government's proposal to break the link between the Ombudsman and An Bord Pleanála chairpersons' salaries and a High Court judge thus enabling the Minister to set those at a more realistic rate. However, revised downward salaries must be applied to those who hold these positions currently. I repeat that we are in crisis. The dogs in the street know it. If Government can apply immediate cuts in pay in the lowest paid public sector, it can impose comparable cuts to those on the big money - contract or no contract. If this cannot be done through pay cuts, then it must be done through taxation.

Tackling the high pay and pensions for those who reside in the upper echelons of the civil and public sector is clearly not something for which this Government has the stomach. We might expect that Fine Gael Party Ministers would support big bucks for the big boys, but the position of Labour Party Ministers on this issue is beyond disappointing. The Minister could stop the practice of bonanza pension payouts to Secretaries General and county managers today. Existing legislation allows him to do that.

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