Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)

The Deputy talked about the minimum wage but the minimum wage was increased in the budget. It is important to keep a balance on the discussion. When it comes to people at senior management level, you are trying to make sure that we get the best value for money. In the context of the Department of Transport, as billions of euro are being invested in transport, that is important. Every chief executive who is working within transport and is responsible for the running of these organisations has a lot of people and responsibility. It is important to say that we have the right people in those positions. I do not disagree that there are people who need more pay but it is not related. The performance has been tested and there is a demand for people who can run the agencies to get the best out of them. It is about getting the best value for money in order that money is not wasted and we have money to pay for other services. That is important. The balance has to be kept in that regard.

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