Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I rise to make a plea for real patriotism in the context of the rightful public outrage at the size of the pensions being enjoyed by some retired Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas at a time when people are trying to recover from the wreckage of the so-called Celtic tiger. The people who were central to the crash rode into the sunset with enormous pensions and severance packages. I call on those people to reflect, in the context of the times in which we are living and borrowing to pay their pensions, on whether the size of those pensions is justified. I call for a real act of patriotism whereby they gift part of their pensions back to the State, perhaps not permanently, but for a number of years until such time as the finances of the State improve. They should reflect on what the founding fathers of the State would do in similar circumstances. There is only one answer. They would gift part of those enormous State pensions back to the State. I ask every retired Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas who is on a very large pension to consider doing that in the national interest.