Michael D'Arcy (Fine Gael)

The Minister's argument - that a person who came in under a particular scheme before having to exit it for a certain period should be allowed to revert back to that scheme if he or she is fortunate enough to get back into the Oireachtas - is a reasonable one. Senator Cullinane's party wants to set €100,000 as the maximum salary that can be paid to anyone in the public sector. If that comes to pass, some school principals and gardaí will have to take a pay cut. If it is intended to cut the Taoiseach's salary to €100,000, will that involve the Taoiseach receiving the same salary as a schoolteacher? If Sinn Féin wants to cut everybody's pay by a certain percentage, I am not sure it will score as highly in the popularity stakes as it thinks it will.