Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

This is a throwback to the monarchy. These people may have their grand notions or whatever else. We need to tackle that and we need to do it in a fair and effective way. When we come to salaries, I will talk about that aspect of it also.

My understanding is that all of these people also have drivers. If one goes down to the Four Courts, one will see the crier walking with his staff in front of the judge through the hallways and so on. Why, I do not know. Let us say a judge wants that; why can his driver, for example, not do it? We need to combine a number of functions that can be combined, but all of these posts should be examined and pruned. There should be no area in which people classify themselves as being above everybody else, hanging on to their privileges. At a time of crisis for many families around the country, these things should be totally eradicated.