Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I do not agree with the Minister on many issues but at least he is one of those who listens and perhaps he should be elevated.

The aspect of this which upsets me most is the increment. I have been a school teacher for over 20 years. Every few years I receive an increment and I am entitled to it based on the service I have given to the school. I will not get votes from this and the media will probably deride me for saying so, but non-ministerial office holders, whether they are Senators or Deputies, should not be afraid to stand up for what we believe in. I do not think taking away the increment for non-office holders is the right decision. However, I believe members of the public will look at the cuts in this Bill and decide they are not enough.

The remuneration is good and the allowances are generous for ordinary Senators and Deputies but let us start the process with the Cabinet and its entourage. Can the Minister of State say if we have cut that entourage and the other costs incurred by Cabinet? If officials and civil servants had their increments taken away they would go out on strike but we cannot do that. I have no difficulty with the abolition of pensions for Ministers who are serving Deputies, nor with pay cuts. I have no difficulty with not being able to claim an allowance as a Senator for my job in the school. That is a fair move and we need fairness. However, I do not agree with the Minister of State's claim that the Government has shown leadership. We are in the position we are in today because of the way Fianna Fáil has run the country for the past 12 years. It is like an animal farm, where the slogan was "two legs good, four legs better".

Senator Boyle is right there must be transparency and accountability. I run a full-time office in the constituency of Cork South-Central but do not receive a brass penny for it. Maybe this Bill will be a catalyst to fix the cleavage in Irish politics and get rid of clientelism. It might force people to question the job of a Deputy or Senator. Is their job to be at the beck and call of everybody and do work on the ground but to forget about legislation? It is 1.30 a.m. and we are debating legislation we should have debated throughout the day, instead of rushing it. We need a wider debate about what we want parliamentarians to do.

Senator Boyle was also correct to say that the cost of politics was increasing for the ordinary person who gets involved. I would hate a situation to arise in which politics were the preserve of the rich and only a select few could run for office. I am not a wealthy person and have no aspiration to have riches. I want to be a representative of the people, as is the case with many of my colleagues. As politicians we have a fundamental choice between a system which has accountability, transparency and value for money and one that does not have those things. I ask the media, who are very quick to jump on politicians, to look into their own profession because there is much to which they have turned a blind eye but we are soft targets.

The Bill is welcome and must be the beginning of a change in politics. I hope we will all be treated with fairness and equality because such things are the cornerstone of the democracy of which I want to be a part.