Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Yes, exactly. As soon as this reply appeared last week, I received telephone calls at my constituency office in Castletown from Donegal and everywhere else asking what was I talking about. I said that I merely published the Minister's reply to the question and I made no comment. In regard to the Department of Defence, I am sure the Air Traffic Control officer's allowance is well justified. There is an editors' connect and An Cosantoir allowance, an election gratuity allowance - I do not know what that is for - an emergency medical allowance and an explosive ordnance duty allowance. The people who do ordnance work are certainly entitled to an allowance. In respect of many of these allowances I would fight for the people who have them to retain them but I would like to able to specify which is which. There is a fire protection pay allowance, an instructor's allowance, a special instructor's allowance, an Irish language teaching allowance, an isolated outpost allowance, a military service allowance, a technician pay allowance, a security duty allowance, a daily course allowance, a messing allowance - I presume that is for working in the Army mess, perhaps they eat at a lower table than the others, I do not know what that allowance is for - and a uniform replenishment allowance. I will not go into the latter allowance. The journalists asked me to specify the difference between a male officer allowance and a female officer allowance but I will leave that to others to talk about. Then is a long list setting out a trainee pilot allowance and the list goes on. I advise the Minister of State that I getting through this information. The few minutes I spend putting these allowances on the record, once I get them on it, might save me calling a vote.

The allowances in the Department of Defence, as opposed to the Defence Forces - I got details of the allowances not only in respect of the Department but in respect of the Army - include a Sunday allowance, a holiday allowance, a Saturday allowance, a wardsmaid's allowance, a kitchen and mess helper wardsmaid's allowance for bank holidays, and on call allowance in Haulbowline, about which the Minister of State will be pleased to hear. The on-call allowance in Haulbowline is €211.85 per week and it is taxable while the call out call allowance in Baldonnel is only €21.98 and it is also taxable. There is also a tool allowance, an oil allowance, a pumps allowance, a storekeeper's allowance and an eating on site allowance. That allowance for staff in that Department eating at their desks is €1.90 a day whereas it is €1.67 a day in other Departments.

In the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine there is an allowance playable to veterinary officers who work in rendering plants. None of us would want to have to spend our time in such plants and we know the difficult conditions that exist in some of them. There is a shift allowance, a 1% PCW allowance, which I presume was in one of the national pay agreements, a housing allowance, an assisted head service officer allowance, a footwear allowance, an on-call allowance, and an eating on site allowance, which is only payable to general operatives and craft workers. It is €1.90 in line with that of the previous Department to which I referred. There is a meat inspection allowance, a pesticide allowance, an allowance to farm managers at Longtown Farm - I am not sure where that is - a livestock allowance and allowances for taking samples at knackeries, which is not a nice job. Those workers earn their allowance.

In regard to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, there is a modest set of allowances for this new Department, with which I would have no issue. In regard to the Department of Health, there is a modified rate full allowance and I will not go into the allowances paid to consultants. I presume they are not included in the list in the reply I received but they are the ones we should be talking about. In the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport there is a range of allowances that are quite small, including a radio officer allowance, a station allowance, an on-call allowance and a marine survey allowance, all of which I am sure are well earned.

A list of the allowances in the health sector will be forwarded to me later. The Department could have produced a list. I accept it was not provided and that there is work to be done on it. It would be helpful to have such a list when the Dáil is passing legislation that deals specifically with allowances. We are being asked to pass legislation on the blind. If the Minister of State or I were to go for an interview this afternoon and we were asked what allowances were included in the legislation we had passed on public service pensions and other related matters, which include allowances, neither she nor I would know the answer to that question. We should not be passing legislation when that is the bottom line of what we are doing here.

My point has been well made. We will return to the issue of allowances in several other forms in this House but the way we are dealing with the issue here is not the right way . The Minister should have held over this section until his review of allowances was completed, whether that be next week, next month or next November. When he has the review of allowances and work is being done on a budget for next year - this will relate to new recruits by and large - at that stage we would have the exact list of allowances that are permanent, payable and taxable and they should be included under the pension scheme. Those allowances that are temporary or past their sell-by date should no longer exist and they should be abolished if that is the business case that needs to be made. At that stage we should incorporate the allowances into legislation. It is wrong that we are passing legislation in respect of a list of allowances about which nobody knows the detail. That is not good legislation. My point is well made and I will return to it.

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