Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I remind colleagues that while it was easy for people to be critical of the Leinster Lawn project, a planning decision was made many years ago, which presented the requirement for us to restore Leinster Lawn. I do not believe we in the Oireachtas could be seen to second guess the planning process and, therefore, the work had to go ahead.

On the more substantive matter of allowances and expenses, which is entirely a matter for the Minister for Finance, my colleagues in this and in the other House are aware that the Oireachtas commission has had quite a number of meetings with the Minister and officials on this matter. We tried to reflect the views and concerns of the public and our colleagues. We look forward in the very near future to the Minister for Finance bringing forward his new proposals for what we hope will be a transparent, accountable and value for money system. It is on record that the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission proposed a single parliamentary allowance. The Minister did not seem entirely happy with that and there was further reflection, debate and engagement, but at the end of the day, as is the requirement under law, the Minister for Finance alone sets the allowances and expenses for politicians. It would be useful if that debate ended pretty quickly, hopefully with next week's budget, and that we were in a position to put a new system in place.

We have been very much the whipping boys in regard to this subject during the past 12 months. It is necessary that changes be made and that further reining in occurs across all sectors of the State. However, we must also ensure that politics as a career and a way of giving public service is open to every citizen of this State and that we do not make the system so financially inadequate that it would be only wealthy people who could become elected politicians. We forget that sometimes when we talk about a league of expenses and who claimed the most in January and who travelled the most in February. If we want politics to be a public service, to which every citizen of the State could aspire to enter, there must be a reasonable system of pay and expenses available to people so that it does not become, as it would have been many years ago, the preserve of the very well off.

It is to be noted with satisfaction that once again the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, through budgetary savings and measures taken during the past few years, has underspent. In other words, it has saved the taxpayer money. If every agency of the State and every Department returned the amount of the underspend in the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, the Government would not be in the difficult situation in which it finds itself in respect of the public finances. Our overall allocation from the national budget is tiny but in so far as we can, we should set an example. We have a three-year budget, on which we have saved and which we did not spend in its entirety. I hope this will be an example for other Departments.

I refer to two matters related to the work of the commission in so far as it impacts on the public. I congratulate all those involved in the schools programme which has put Members in touch with thousands of pupils throughout the country and has been very successful. This work is ongoing and we try to improve as we continue with it. I refer also to the open days in Leinster House which have attracted thousands of visitors and have been very successful. They have profiled the work of the Oireachtas and how it works as opposed to the perception held by some of how it works.

The members of the commission appreciate that we must continue to improve. We must continue to try to ensure taxpayers' money is well spent. We recognise our job is to preside over the effective administration of the finances available in Leinster House and keep the taxpayer at the top of our agenda. The triennial budget has been well spent; it has been constructively and, more importantly, carefully spent. Our commitment for the future should be to continue to be careful guardians of taxpayers' money.