Shane Ross (Independent)

I am certainly looking for a debate on this. I know the Deputy Leader, because of his past history, will be sympathetic to this. We need to know what the hell is going on in the Department of Finance. It has been a kind of secret Department and its activities have been covered in secrecy for many years. Its mandarins appear before Oireachtas committees but give us no information. Now we know why. It is because they are lining their pockets with taxpayers' money and giving themselves up to €200,000 in performance related bonuses. Those in the Department of Finance deserve no performance related bonuses because it is the worst performing Department in the State. It is the Department that has us in the absolute mess we are in.

Let us see the Minister for Finance, who rightly intervened in the situation with regard to the bonus culture within AIB this week, intervene with regard to the bonus culture within his Department and ensure these bonuses are stopped. If he can stop them in AIB, he can stop them in the Department. If they have already been paid, he can get them back. He can dock their pay next year, if necessary, to ensure the Exchequer gets back what it is entitled to.