Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I have spoken on the equivalents of this Bill on a number of previous occasions and will probably make the same points again now. I support the point made by Deputy McLellan regarding representation on the commission. It is totally inadequate that the only Opposition Deputy included on the commission is a Fianna Fáil Deputy. The commission is an important body and it requires a different balance to provide the kind of oversight required.

I met the Minister on numerous occasions over the years on one of the criticisms I have and I thought a change was going to be made but, unfortunately, there was not. I speak in the context of the Technical Group, which is a recognised group from the point of view of Standing Orders. The privileges that come with that are very important in terms of speaking rights, being able to ask questions on Leaders’ Questions, to have representation on committees and other aspects of the work of the Oireachtas. However, even if such a group is made up almost entirely of the Opposition, no secretarial support is provided to run the group, which is in marked contrast to the political parties in this Dáil that were elected in the previous general election. We have done an analysis, which I have given to the Minister on a number of occasions. There are approximately 20 secretarial assistants. Parties decide to break down the figures in various ways. Fianna Fáil has 15.2 secretarial assistants and Sinn Féin has the equivalent of 11.2 staff entitlements for a parliamentary group. I do not say the Technical Group is equivalent to a political party in terms of the work but its work cannot be done on fresh air. When a group is resourced to do at least the minimum, that aids the smooth running of the Oireachtas. The arrangement the 31st Dáil put in place for the Technical Group was that we each paid for two members of staff on a job-share basis. That means, for example, that I had to become an employer and that means having to deal with Revenue for taxation purposes. The staff members do not have the same rights and entitlements as their co-workers in Leinster House, including when the Dáil concludes, which leaves people in a fairly precarious position. To be honest, that particular aspect alone is very unfair. The work cannot be done properly without staff. It is a big regret that not even the minimum was done in this regard.

I have some questions about the terminology used in the legislation. For example, is there any significance in the change from "grant" to "grant-in-aid"? The Minister might well have explained that in his opening speech but perhaps he could repeat it when he wraps up.

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