Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

While we question the assertion by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform that the Government is delivering fundamental change in democratic and public governance, we none the less welcome the introduction of this legislation. The Bill deals with a number of anomalies in the political system relating to pay, State funding of politics and accountability. State funding of political parties is part and parcel of a functioning democracy, as are the mechanisms built into the system to account for such funds. Independent Members should be subject to the same scrutiny as political parties and the rules of accountability should apply to all Members of both Houses.

In the past six years citizens have been subject to drastic reductions in public services, but the human cost has yet to be properly quantified. While the scale of the cuts and those targeted to carry the heaviest burden is a debate for another day, it is the context within which the Bill is framed. We welcome the Minister's decision to reduce the leader's allowance. Sinn Féin's budget proposals for 2014, which were published in advance of the Government's October announcement, included a measure to cut the leader's allowance by 10%. As politicians, we cannot propose reductions in expenditure without first looking to ourselves. We would like to see the withdrawal of the committee chair allowance. Participation in Dáil committees should be made compulsory, with no additional allowance, because it is an intrinsic part of the role of Deputies and Senators. These moneys should be redirected to resourcing the committees with additional staff and expertise. The committee system is one of the positive parts of our parliamentary system and it adds real value to our work. I believe citizens have more faith in this aspect of our work. Leaders' Questions Time frustrates citizens and is often viewed by the outside world as little more than a set piece. The Topical Issues debate follows an even more rigid format and Ministers have thus far failed to live up to their commitments of 2011 in this regard.

This legislation should also deal with ministerial pay, which remains high in comparison to our European counterparts. Sinn Féin proposed a package of pay reductions for the Taoiseach, Ministers and Oireachtas Members which would have saved an additional €3.7 million and brought salaries in line with those in comparable European states. Office holders often justify their salary scales with comparisons to the private sector, which of course is not the correct comparison. If one's wont in life is to maximise one's earning potential, politics is not the right career. Politicians and office holders are paid well for the service they give and it is my party's view that their salaries could be reduced. We would like the Minister to go further in this regard.

Independent Members will now be subject to the same reporting requirements as party leaders in that they will have to prepare a statement of expenditure on the moneys they receive, have the statement audited and provide documents to the Standards in Public Office Commission. I studied with bemusement the amendments submitted in the Seanad which argued against this measure. The proposition that any Member should be subject to less scrutiny than his or her colleagues makes little sense. For a number of years Sinn Féin was the only political party in this state to make public our audited annual accounts, as we do in the North. For some time in the North political parties have been required under law to provide a full annual financial statement of income and expenditure to the electoral commission. We have always commended this requirement and called for the same in the South.

Much of the mistrust of politics is because of the public perception that politicians get an easy ride. The leader's allowance and other payments are, as the Minister stated, used for parliamentary activities, but until there is a completely transparent mechanism to make public all revenue and expenditure data relating to political parties the mistrust will remain. However, while the Government has a way to go before we even come close to an open data culture, this legislation is a small step forward. Expanding the role of the Standards in Public Office Commission is the right decision but it must be complemented by increased staff numbers and training. Introducing legislation to enhance oversight of public moneys will be meaningless if these same oversight bodies are not fully resourced. My colleague Deputy Mary Lou McDonald has raised this matter repeatedly with the Minister as he was overseeing a significant further reduction in staff numbers. I cannot emphasise enough the need for adequate resourcing and training of the bodies to which we entrust oversight.

Abolition of the severance payments to Ministers and parliamentary office holders is welcome, and it is long overdue. It is a shame the Minister has not shown the same enthusiasm for dealing with the gold-plated pensions that continue to be paid out to former Taoisigh, Ministers and office holders. Sinn Féin's budget proposals to deal with these pensions would save the state €14 million annually. The majority of former public sector workers receive modest pensions for the service they gave but a small cohort still enjoy very generous packages. The vast majority of Secretaries General and city and county managers will receive additional lump sum payments and up to ten added years on retirement. It is not good enough for the Minister to state this is their entitlement; nor is he correct to say property rights act as a barrier to fundamentally reforming pensions for those at the top. This is the same argument used by the board of CRC to justify its former CEO's pension package that has outraged the country, as well as many Ministers.

It is also disappointing that the Minister has not used the Bill as an opportunity to introduce a fully vouched system for all Oireachtas Members' expenses. It would be a welcome development if the Minister gave us a commitment today that this is something he intends to do during the lifetime of the Government.

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