Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My understanding is that the direct costs relating to Senators' salaries and expenses and staff costs amount to €8.8 million. Indirect pay and non-pay costs of the supporting sections amount to €9.3 million. There is also an annual cost of approximately €2 million in pensions, that is, pensions of former Members are paid by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. The argument is about a figure in the region of €20 million. That is not a huge issue for me one way or the other because I have always found that people were assiduous in terms of doing their job within the parameters of the Constitution.

I want to make another point about former Senator O'Rourke's report, which I helped to co-author at the time. I ask people to read what I said in the Official Report. It is important for people who are interested in history and economics that they remember what they said. I said on that occasion that if we did not move on the reform agenda we proposed at the time, the case for abolition would come within six months. I listened to some Senators yesterday - not colleagues present-----