[golden lane]

a simple formula should be followed.......average wage plus an amount for each voter....

[clashburke]

Senator - €75,000
TD - €110,000
Junior Ministers - €120,000
Ministers - €140,000
Taoiseach - €180,000

And no expences paid for travel, hotels, food or such things. Offices in the Dail can be supplied by the Oireachtas staff. Take taxes from the above and there is quite a saving with still significant wages to get the so called best of the best.

The number of TD's cut to 150 would be enough. We do need more than the 50odd mentioned above!! Committees need opposing voices and enough people to fill places on such!! As mentioned comparison to U.K, Germany or USA is unrealistic in relation to representation.
Luxembourg has 60MP to 500,000 people as 18(1 TD/Mp per 27,000 people as in Ireland) wouldn't fill a government.

And lastly cut in the Oireachtas wages/staff would be minor in the big picture but savings in combining County Councils and removing seats in the combinations could be quite alot more.

[Maura74]

They done all the cutbacks at the bottom of the food chain, it's time now to do some cutbacks at the top of the food chain as well.

BTW Ireland population is lower than that of Greater London

[paddyandy]

You won't get Top quality cheaply a simple irrefutable fact of life .Footballers kick a bit of leather about, are they overpaid ? A Clown telling jokes ; Is he overpaid ? A man hitting a little white ball is he overpaid ? A rutting Baboon with a Guitar ;is he overpaid ?A barrister who gets $200+- for a signature ; Is he overpaid ?The Cowboy who does an hour's work and asks for $300 ;Is he overpaid ?The list goes on and on .

[zootroid]

I have no issue with the salaries paid to TD's. The company I work for has a small number of employees that earn in excess of 100k. The salary should reflect the seriousness of the job, and I think the current salary arrangements are about right.

What I do have an issue with is the unvouched expenses they claim. Expenses should operate as they do in the private sector. If you have a legitimate business expense, you put in your claim backed up by receipts.

[SerialComplaint]

Originally Posted by zootroid

What I do have an issue with is the unvouched expenses they claim. Expenses should operate as they do in the private sector. If you have a legitimate business expense, you put in your claim backed up by receipts.

Nonsense - many private businesses that have staff full-time on the road operate unvouched expenses for overnights or meals or both. There is no value in having a huge bureaucracy collecting and checking receipts. The vouching thing is a red herring. It's the level of expenses that's the problem - a grand a month turning-up money for a Dublin TD.

[mistermouse]

The fact that the Dail is empty for most of the day, most of the week is quite telling.

Given that alot of the work is done and drawn up by civil servants etc, I fail to see how they can justify such salaries.

The idea of signing in for the day and getting paid no matter how much time they spend there is rediculious

Very few in the private sector get away turning up, signing in and not having to account for their time

I worked for a company who actually routinely had staff followed, not to mention had time sheets and work diaries that had to all add up and be signed off

I did not get a pension or allowance like TDs get when they are voted out, what ex-tds get is more rediculious than those still there, and claiming pensions while still working is just, well, Irish

[waltermc]

At time of the general election campaign I had then now finance minister call to my door and I confronted him over the salaries of TDs and he had the never to tell me he only gets €3,000 a month. Given the fact that a TD salary is over €92k I did not believe a word out of his mouth. That salary is more than enough for them and they should have their expenses scrapped. We are a small country and cant afford to be paying out huge salaries. Its time the IMF step in force their wages to be cut. Many of them dont need these wages they are so rich

[senordingdong]

What I don't understand is why they need such big salaries when they're benefits and allowances prevent them from ever having to put their hands in their pockets.

[Avatarr]

I think we will all agree that the level of pay of Irish politicians is far beyond what is equatable for both the size of the country and
(lets be honest) the competence they demonstrate.

What grates on me is the expenses on top of these salaries and the pensions awaiting there, invariably, early retirement.

To illustrate this, consider former Fianna Fail minister Dick Roche, who is on course to earn up to €200,000 this year in his new role as a lobbyist. This will be on top of his €50,000 public pension and excluding the €130,000 lump sum payment.

Absolute madness.........

[golden lane]

Originally Posted by Avatarr

I think we will all agree that the level of pay of Irish politicians is far beyond what is equatable for both the size of the country and
(lets be honest) the competence they demonstrate.

What grates on me is the expenses on top of these salaries and the pensions awaiting there, invariably, early retirement.

To illustrate this, consider former Fianna Fail minister Dick Roche, who is on course to earn up to €200,000 this year in his new role as a lobbyist. This will be on top of his €50,000 public pension and excluding the €130,000 lump sum payment.

Absolute madness.........

"madness".....and all that on borrowed money....

there is lunatic tendency entering the irish way of doing things....

[ilovesleep]

Originally Posted by Avatarr

I think we will all agree that the level of pay of Irish politicians is far beyond what is equatable for both the size of the country and
(lets be honest) the competence they demonstrate.

What grates on me is the expenses on top of these salaries and the pensions awaiting there, invariably, early retirement.

To illustrate this, consider former Fianna Fail minister Dick Roche, who is on course to earn up to €200,000 this year in his new role as a lobbyist. This will be on top of his €50,000 public pension and excluding the €130,000 lump sum payment.

Absolute madness.........

There is a councilor out my way who is receiving three pensions that are nearing up to 200,000 PA. Crazy.

As others have said the unvouched expenses on top of their salaries. If a private company was coming into financial difficulty, they will be cutting back left, right and centre to stay afloat. There may be lay-offs and wage cuts too. Everything and anything would be looked at to save money.

Another problem I have are their pensions. It's too much especially when the state is broke. Any early retirement too. And multiple pensions.

[SerialComplaint]

Originally Posted by ilovesleep

There is a councilor out my way who is receiving three pensions that are nearing up to 200,000 PA. Crazy.
.

No-one gets anything near that figure for their work as a Councillor. The only scenario where this could be true would be an ex-Taoiseach or senior Minister who is now a Councillor - which I don't think happens.

Given that public pensions are in the public domain, please name your well-endowed Councillor.