Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

I refer to members. They will pay the levy on their salaries. Does that mean there is an implicit acceptance that there will be a pension scheme for local authority members, for which they have justifiably lobbied for a long time? Surely we are conceding the principle if we are going to levy them for a pension. I accept the Minister cannot announce the detail of the scheme today but I would welcome his acceptance in principle that councillors would be paid pensions and the detail can be arranged over time.