Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

I do not believe that Members of this House or the Lower House should be obliged to use swipe cards. I agree with Senator Donohoe that technology has advanced to the stage where it is simple to check how often people attend the Houses. On a daily basis - sometimes too often in this House - votes take place in particular matters and the record of those votes indicates whether Members are present. That is the proper mechanism to use in the context of verifying people's attendance in the House.

Rather than introduce a regime which would involve swipe cards or under which Members would be obliged to sign in and sign out, we should be obliged, like everyone else in the country, to make a sacrifice. Regardless of how long we might retain them, it must be accepted that we are lucky to have jobs. We should take an across-the-board salary cut of 10% or 15%. We should cut out the type of nonsense mentioned by a number of speakers. We must make the sacrifice to which I refer.

Expenses are claimed in respect of money one pays out in the course of doing one's job in the Oireachtas and I accept that we must take a cut in respect of such expenses. I also accept that it would be easy for Members to keep their expenses and do nothing, but they will not remain Members for long if they do so. Let us be sensible in respect of this matter and stop putting forward proposals of a particular kind.

I do not wish to put words in the mouth of the Minister for Finance. I understand that he has not yet decided what action to take in respect of Members' expenses. However, I am in favour of dispensing with all the codology and introducing a cut of 10%, 15% or whatever in order that we might move to deal with other matters.