Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I did not raise this at the Leader's meeting the other day, but I did not spot it until now. The discussion today should not just be about the stability of the public finances, but also about a general economic recovery.

I wish to make one comment about what was said the other day and which I touched on yesterday. I would like the Leader to take one message back to the Government. A public servant on €25,000 per year is now being asked to pay substantial amounts of money for a pension which is less than the State pension. Where is the equity in that? It will be less than the €240 per week which people in the private sector would receive through their ordinary PRSI contributions. I raise this as an anomaly. I am sure the Government did not see this, but it should have. While one can understand where the Government is coming from in asking people like ourselves, earning salaries approaching €100,000 per annum, to make a contribution. Everyone earning such money, in the public and private sector, should be asked to make a similar contribution. Apart from asking ordinary public sector workers to pay more for their pensions, the rest of us should be asked to make the same level of contribution. There is no sense in not asking high earners in the private sector to pay nothing.

We intended dealing with the Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008 today. I express my admiration for the fight that Senator Denis O'Donovan has been making on this issue. Ba mhaith liom go mbeadh díospóireacht againn ar the west, iarthar na tíre seo. Tá tuarascáil curtha i gcló anois ag an Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Chuir an Seanadóir Pearse Doherty an tuarascáil le chéile. This report on the west has been accepted by the committee and ba mhaith liom go mbeadh díospóireacht air sin. Tá a lán rudaí ag baint leis sin ó thaobh tionscail na hiascaireachta, bóithre, iarnróid agus fostaíochta de agus ó thaobh a lán rudaí eile de chomh maith. Is maith agus is cóir go mbeadh díospóireacht againn air sin. I ask the Leader to allow us use Senator Doherty's document, prepared for the committee, to have a debate next week on the west.

I do not want to get into the debate raised by Senator O'Donovan, but the reality is that there is a harbour authority in west Cork running an efficient and effective operation and making money in the locality, yet someone in Dublin has decided it should be part of a Cork city outfit. That will again disable the west and is completely unnecessary. There is no gain and it adds to administration. Ba mhaith liom go mbeadh díospóireacht againn ar an iarthar and on that report.