David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Many Senators have referred to the controversy concerning the section 38 and section 39 organisations funded by the State but in respect of which we have not had full accountability and transparency. I agree with the Government party Senators who have called for that accountability because there should be no secrecy when it comes to the salaries of any organisation which is partly funded by the State. The reality is that there is secrecy and that we do not have accountability and transparency. It took until yesterday to get the information from Rehab in respect of the salary of the CEO of that organisation. It took months of wrangling, public debate and comment before Rehab stepped forward and put the information into the public domain. Many people will be astounded and outraged at the overall package of €272,400 for the CEO of that organisation, which is more than the Taoiseach is paid and more than the heads of State of many countries in Europe are paid, and is three times more than the salary of most charity heads in the State. A salary on that scale cannot be justified at a time when services for people with intellectual and physical disabilities are being cut across the State, including by the organisation concerned.

We need to hold another debate on the toxic culture of bonuses, top-ups, bailouts, pensions, dig-outs and cronyism that has passed for politics in the State. Such a regime has existed at the top of far too many organisations ranging from the banks and now, it seems, to some charities as well, especially at a time when many families are trying to service Celtic tiger mortgages with austerity Ireland incomes. That is the reality for the majority of working families, yet they have seen heads of organisations and heads of charities receiving outrageous payments. Such payments need to stop. It needs to end.

We who work in the political system must bring such behaviour to an end. We cannot act as Pontius Pilate all the time and wash our hands of responsibility. We must take responsibility. If the State funds these organisations, there should be service level agreements to ensure the salary caps that exist in the public sector are also applied to these organisations. This is not rocket science. We just need the political will to make it happen. That needs to happen very quickly if we are to restore confidence in charities generally, but also in public life in the State.