John Whelan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Notwithstanding the genuine answer the Leader provided yesterday in respect of the obscene pensions of the order of ¤500,000 and ¤650,000 that are being paid to bankers, I remind him and the Government that this issue is not going to go away. His reply was accurate in so far as he replied to the question that was put to him, namely, that one cannot single out a particular small section of society. We are not saying that. We are of the view what we are suggesting should apply to everyone. What would be wrong with placing a cap of, for example, ¤65,000 - the amount which Senators are currently paid - on publicly provided pensions? Would such a cap be unfair? If the cap fits, one should wear it. This country cannot afford the excessive and inordinately generous pensions that are being paid out of the public purse. The public will not stand for that, nor will it stand for the Government unless it takes steps to deal with this matter.

I was brought up to believe - as I am sure were many other Members - that if one minds the pennies, the pounds will take care of themselves. In that context, the Minister of State at the Department of Finance has decided that the Government Publications Sales Office on Molesworth Street will close on 23 November next. The saving that will result from this action will be ¤300,000. I suppose this is part of the rationalisation which must take place. I request that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, come to the House prior to the budget in order that we might have an input and suggest where savings could be made. Senators could make a valid contribution in this regard. There is one suggestion I would like to put forward. I call on all Senators and Deputies to desist this year from the thoughtless and vulgar practice of posting out 250,000 Christmas cards at taxpayers' expense. What is the point of sending out such cards? In the current climate, it is thoughtless in the extreme to send someone a Christmas card for which he or she is actually paying in the first instance. If Members want to recognise and mark the goodwill of the festive season, I strongly suggest that they purchase charity Christmas cards from the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation, the Irish Cancer Society or the Irish Hospice Foundation. In view of the times in which we are living, it is wrong to squander taxpayers' money by sending them Christmas cards for which they are paying in any event. That is absurd.