Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Over the past number of days, we have seen the issue of pay to the forefront with teachers, nurses and gardaí. Pay is an issue for people at the bottom who have started life on salaries of €23,000 or €24,000 and are finding it very difficult to survive. I am also very conscious that many young people who are unemployed are receiving €100 a week. It is proposed that Deputies receive an increase of €100 per week at a time when others only receive a total of €100 a week. Whatever else we are debating, this issue is about a sense of fairness in our society. If we in this Chamber stand for anything, it should be having a sense of fairness.

There are has been a lot of talk, and people have debated back and forth and have thrown dirt each other about where we are and where we stand. That is all well and good, but at the end of the day the public looking on are wondering whether the people in this Chamber live in the real world. I think in particular of the working poor, such as the families who are trying to survive, and pay for mortgages and car insurance who cannot get medical cards because their incomes are slightly over the limit but cannot afford medical insurance. They cannot afford to pay for child care and are struggling to survive. All of those people are looking on and found there was nothing in the budget for them, yet those at the very top are giving themselves an increase of €100 a week.

The motion is about establishing a sense of fairness and ensuring that we make sure that everyone has a fair crack of the whip. We have to restore a sense of fair play, rather than just talking about it. I fully respect that all Members have their views on the motion. We are all in political parties. We will throw dirt at each other and try to get the best we can for our positions. However, we all have to recognise that we have to run for election. Everyone who runs for election has to go back out and face the people, no matter what party they are in or whether they are an Independent.

Those who want to run for election again need to think seriously about whether they will be able to face the ordinary people who are struggling. Many have had to emigrate from this country because there is nothing here for them. Will Members be able to face them, knowing that they were prepared to accept an increase in pay not just for those in the House, but for others who are in receipt of very high salaries? It is simply wrong, and that is why I will support the motion.

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