Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will deal with the points made because we have a long debate and everybody's position is very well enunciated. Perhaps I should start by surprising Deputy Naughten by saying that I strongly agree with him. The Executive is too strong and we need to rebalance. All my political life, I have wanted a stronger Parliament. I applaud some of the initiatives that are happening to make Parliament stronger. For the first time in my political life, the committee system is working in an effective way. It needs better resourcing but that is a debate for another day.

The Deputy asked me specific questions about Deputy Nulty. When a Deputy resigns, that money ends as soon as the Member is no longer a Member of the House. In the same way, as happened with our dearly loved departed colleague who died recently, that money obviously finishes with a person's death. That is clear. After a by-election, that money recommences to the party or the individual who is re-elected. I take Deputy Timmins's points about headage points. I should not have strayed into agricultural metaphors. It is not an area with which I am familiar enough to utilise properly.

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