Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

They were the only people who could afford to be in politics because they were independently wealthy. Do we want that? No, we do not. There is a consultative process and a review going on at the moment. I would be very hopeful. As Senators, we have a unique nexus to councillors. Obviously, we rely on them for votes. We appreciate them. We have a connection to them.

I am in contact with certain councillors all the time. It is very important. I do not want to go over the points that others have made about pensions and other things that we all take for granted. It has been said in here 100 or perhaps 1,000 times that councillors are overworked and underpaid. Something has to be done about it.

I will hear what the Leader says when he responds, but I assume we have no choice other than to wait for the Minister to come back to us. I hope that as a former councillor and two-term Senator, the Minister will come back with a positive result for us. He needs to set out what is going to be done to improve things.

When I was on the last Seanad campaign, I came across a number of councillors who were wondering why they were bothering. It was not an idle threat. They were genuinely questioning why they were doing this. In light of the amount of abuse we get, never mind the pay and conditions aspect of things, can any of us honestly say we would be involved in politics and the lifestyle associated with it if we were not afflicted with a form of madness that means we are addicted to the process of trying to do good for people? I could go on all day about it. I support what others have said. I understand that an amendment to the Order of Business, as opposed to a motion, has been tabled to address this issue. I have no doubt that we are all on the same page with regard to it.