Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)

Considering approximately 100,000 people are struggling to keep a roof over their head and dealing with mortgage arrears and the public in general are struggling with the effects of the budget, I ask the Minister to explain to the House why the Taoiseach, Deputy Kenny, has signed a statutory instrument on 31 January 2012, just last week, to confer an additional payment on a Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, a colleague of Deputy Burton's, of an additional €17,205 which is to be tax free. I ask the Minister to explain to the House and to the public that in light of the austerity measures, why S.I. 28 of 2012 has been signed by the Taoiseach to confer a tax-free allowance of €17,205 on top of the junior Minister allowance of €130,000?

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