Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his somewhat expected answer. He is correct that class K was introduced in 2011 as our way of showing – God help us and save us – that we are suffering like the ordinary working man and paying 4% of our salary and getting nothing for it. We were smart enough, however, to allow for voluntary contributions so we could still get the contributory old age pension. The truth of the matter is that it was a nonsense. It was a fudge for the public to pretend that we, in some way, were suffering in the same way as them. This is not the Minister's doing. He just happens to be in the chair at the moment, and I have every sympathy for him as he tries to push this Bill through the House. The bottom line is that when we talk about the Public Service Pay Commission and various other matters, we should have the commission consider this House as much as the poor old public servant who is operating at the bottom of the scale in some clerical grade. Let us take everything into account when talking about this. If we really want to be on par with our colleagues in the public service, let us apply the same principles to ourselves.

I wonder whether the next Taoiseach will be on a career-averaged pension rather than on a Taoiseach's pension. These are the sorts of steps we need to take if we really want to be consistent right across the public service. This is a tax. It was nothing else but a tax. Is was designed to be a tax purely to serve as a fudge for the people to indicate that we in some way were suffering the way they were. It is not the Minister's doing. He has the opportunity to fix it and I believe he will. It is just not opportune at this time. As my colleague, Senator Norris, said, let us not be afraid of the public. I do a good day's work in here. I work in here from every Monday to every Friday. I do not believe I have to apologise for my existence. I took a goddamned pay cut of €8,000 a year to sit in here. Therefore, I make no apology for anything.