Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will take a few minutes to be involved in the discussion. I do not have a difficulty with being here and discussing this, because there is nothing to hide. I was thinking about the time when politicians had control over voting their own pay rises. I did some research on this and I could not see any time when they had control themselves until the year 2000 when they actually decided to take a reduction in wages. This reduction has happened and now we have the restoration of this pay.

I also have a serious difficulty with politicians, from every party or independent - I am not referring just to Sinn Féin - who go around telling the public and the media they will not take this rise, when some of them have two or three businesses with far greater sources of income. This proposal is very rich coming from individuals who do this. I am a new Deputy and I do not hold any of my old jobs. I was partly involved in a business and another job but that is no longer the case. I rely totally on the good salary from this job and the expenses.

I will tell the House about a Deputy in a rural constituency. I have opened my third office and my expenses will not cover the cost of it. To give my constituents a proper service I must delve into my salary to cover the cost of the third office. When we open our first office every Deputy is generously helped out and that is fair enough. I am in the rural constituency of Roscommon-Galway, which is more than 100 miles long, and I have opened my third constituency office. I have one in my home town of Strokestown, I have one in Roscommon town and, as Deputy Anne Rabbitte knows, I have opened one in Ballinasloe. There is a huge cost factor in doing this and many Deputies are aware of this.. I do not know how Sinn Féin does its calculations, it is entitled to do whatever it does, but I am sure Sinn Féin pays for the rent of its office through another way and it comes out of Dáil salary expenses. It might be done differently, or different from the way other Deputies in the House do it, but it is the same thing.

We must pay for rent and conferences. I organised a blood conference and I had to pay for all of it. I could not cover it with my expenses; I had to use some of my wages to cover it. I have no problem with this. The constituents of Roscommon-Galway elected me and I will spend the money to give them the service they deserve. My staff and I will ensure our offices are open five days a week and sometimes at weekends. There is much expense involved in this. Like many other Deputies and councillors - we do not talk about it - we give generous amounts of money to voluntary groups and charities. That is never mentioned. I make these points not in a whingeing way and not giving out because we must do it. I am glad I have the salary and the expenses to do it. It is very important this point is made here this evening.

With regard to public sector pay, I am glad there is some light at the end of the tunnel in the Garda dispute, but in the Chamber this evening I urge that the ASTI think of the students. I know many of them are very annoyed and hurt at how the Government has handled this issue. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, has not handled it well, if we are to be honest. I urge the teachers for the sake of the students to try to get back into the classrooms, particularly for those gearing up for exams who must start work on them. We urge the ASTI to go back into the classrooms and to suspend this. We can all see where they are coming from and recognise some of the difficulties but we all acknowledge that the only show in town at present is the Lansdowne Road agreement. Perhaps through this there can be some give or take, or perhaps even a strong statement from the Minister at this stage. I know that Ed Byrne, the president of the ASTI, said a number of weeks ago that if the Minister indicated certain things in a public statement it might progress this issue. I urge all sides to bring this to a conclusion as quickly as possible.

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