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AONTÚ PARTY LEADER Peadar Tóibín has railed against the large salary attached to the Ceann Comhairle position in Dáil Éireann, describing it as “absolutely crazy and wrong”.
Tóibín, a TD for Meath West believes the €255,000 salary attached to the job needs to be reduced and that a two-term limit should be introduced for holders of the office.
Currently, the salary attached to the position exceeds that paid to the Taoiseach. The basic salary attached to the role is €113,679 with an additional allowance of €141,834.
The Ceann Comhairle is essentially the chairperson of the Dáil and has responsibility for keeping order among TDs while the Dáil is in session.
The position is filled via a secret ballot of TDs at the start of every Dáil term and the person who is elected to the position is then automatically guaranteed re-election as a TD in the following election.
This is because the Ceann Comhairle position is impartial and the TD who holds it essentially forfeits their responsibilities as a TD and no longer votes on legislation or other Dáil business.
Since 2016, Fianna Fáil’s Seán Ó Fearghail has been Ceann Comhairle and as such was automatically returned as a TD in Kildare South in this year’s general election.
Despite previously saying he did not want to seek a third term in the role, it was confirmed last week that Ó Fearghail is now considering a bid.
Independent TD for Wexford, Verona Murphy has also thrown her hat into the ring and would be the first woman to hold the position if elected.
Fianna Fail TD John McGuinness has today also filed his nomination papers for the role.
Speaking to The Journal, Aontú leader Peadár Tóibín said he has yet to decide who he will vote for but that he believes the role is in need of an overhaul.
“Seán Ó Fearghail has been a very successful Ceann Comhairle over the last number of years, but I do think it is good to mix it up,” Tóibín said.
“Don’t get me wrong, it is a hard, hard job,” Tóibín said, noting the long hours attached to the work and the comprehension required of the legalities around how Dáil debates are chaired.
“Without a good Ceann Comhairle, you can see the Dáil fall into dysfunction. A good Ceann Comhairle is very, very important to the functioning of democracy but the salary is way out of kilter.”
Tóibín believes that a two-term limit should be introduced to the role because of the cost it has on the Ceann Comhairle’s constituency in terms of the loss of a TD for a Dáil term.
“I’ll be honest, Aontú has already said we have too many TDs. We need to decouple the constitutional ratios between population and TDs because it is not necessary. What we do need is proper town and borough councils to add that layer of democracy locally,” he added.
All TDs are overpaid
Tóibín added that he has long believed all TDs in Dáil Éireann are overpaid and that the Government should change the law to reduce the salary attached to being a TD and attached to being a minister.
Currently, the basic salary paid to each of Ireland’s 174 TDs is €113,679.
“There has to be an understanding amongst elected representatives of what is going on at kitchen tables around the country, in terms of how people are struggling to make ends meet.
“There’s a line in a Beck song which says ‘you can’t write if you can’t relate’, but I think equally you can’t govern if you can’t relate to the experiences of people,” Tóibín said.
In 2021, the TD introduced a private members’ bill to cut TDs salaries by 25% during the Covid-19 pandemic but the legislation was never progressed.
Tóibín said his party, who in this election went from one to two TDs, plans to look at introducing a cap on the salary of the Ceann Comhairle, ministers and TDs again in the next Dáil term.
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Allowance for what exactly? Pile cream.
@Louis Jacob: it should be obvious
@Louis Jacob: That gave me a good laugh, I must say.
@Louis Jacob: why dont you run yourself next time, maybe you will get the job and can inform us
Tds voting for pay cuts, can’t see it happening!
@Michael o connor: it’s populist nonsense from a populist party. It will do nothing to shore up our public finances and will only serve to discourage anyone competent from running for office.
@Name: lol. Like the high salaries has attracted competence.
Do me a favour….lol.
@Name: yes, Peader know just what to say to get publicity way beyond what would be expo ected for a 2 person party. He’s never off the telly or radio. Populist nonsense that will never happen. Maybe he should go for the job and refuse the salary?
@Name: god can anything corr#pt ever be allowed change, it must always stay the same in your eyes.
@K O: how is it corrupt?
@Dermot Blaine: because it’s obscene
Great little country this is.They just feather their own nests and they can’t find funds for carers disability homeless etc.They just sicken me.Why do we continue to return them to the Dail.255k for that job is outrageous.
@Tom Mc Sweeney: Better to pay them well so they don’t have their hands in other’s pockets
@Mick Duvanny: Yet they still have their hands in other’s pockets! €5000 a week is a Premier league footballer’s wage ffs. This guy just sits on his hole. A proper benchwarmer!
@Anthony Curran: to be fair there are very few players on 5k a week. Vast majority dwarf that figure
@Anthony Curran: pretty much like most premier players so, except that I have never seen a ceann comhairle perfect the act of rolling around in agony.
@Mick Duvanny: But they still do!
@Mick Duvanny: Simpls solution for that, prison.
@Brian Hunt: That may be true but someone on 250k is a lot less likely to rip off the state than someone on 50k. Pay politicians (or guards) peanuts and watch the corruption spiral
The mind fluck in boggles. Roll on the the hurt to us little people going forward. Started already with ” RSA ” announcement earlier..
@Paul Gorry: BAM have been given an open contract to build new Universitys around Ireland. The best thing about it is they will own the buildings once built, and will then lease them back to the colleges! Wham BAM thank you Fianna Gael!!!!
@Dave G Doe: It won’t affect your Raleigh chopper with 3 gears. All good for you .
@Paul Gorry: FG sold their souls to the devil.
@Dave G Doe: it hurts when you pay tax prsi etc something you dont know about on the dole all your life,
@james rowan: he’s a die hard FG landlord
@Jack: they are the devil
I know it’s off topic…but cash strapped RTE are going to give their employees a Thousand Euro gift voucher….And Nothing Was learned from the Absolutely Disgraceful Scandal in the way they handle TV Tax money. COME ON MINISTERS…WHEN IS ENOUGH….ENOUGH? Let them go Subscription!
@Mick Hanna: Nothing was ever going to change at the TASS NEWS AGENCY, near Billion Euro Bailout rewarding the Misinformation, Lies & Corporate Misgovernance, it was only a matter of time before the Largesse started again. Appointing a former insider to change things, Transparency my a#se.
Need more Peadars !
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: nope. Most of us don’t want to live in the past
@Name: seems you are living in the past. Catch up the world has moved on.
We need to get back to wholesome traditional Catholic family values, Aontu can provide such
@Hot Jim: Family values and hot jim are a no-no..
@Hot Jim: ROFLMAO!!!
@Hot Jim: “Catholic values”? Oh dear! Sounds like you may be an ex-alter boy with Stockholm Syndrome
@Mies Valkenburg: Sounds like you can’t detect ironic posts …
@Hot Jim: back to 1950s Ireland so when people were afraid to speak up against the church if something sinister was going on Fr Fortune springs to mind or the church ruled the schools and hospitals if you had a child out of wedlock straight into Bessborough or under Aontú woman’s rights don’t matter when it comes to termination. Yeah right laugh Jim if you want it that bad I’m sure the Burkes would take you in as a surrogate for Enoch. Off with ya now for bible studies mammy Martina is waiting.
@Hot Jim: wholesome Catholic Church who actively fights people who were abused and refuses to pay compensation that they were ordered to? A Catholic Church who covered up the abuse and allowed them to keep offending?
@Hot Jim:
Or just join Sinn Fein if that’s your sort of thing.
Would have thought this would have been voiced pre-election and not when the extended gang are back around the trough ! Perhaps the increased number of TD’s should be compensated by a reduction in the number of Senators (and compensatory appointments )
Funny how this happens now after his auto filled TD seat-he would have lost his seat in Kildare South last time if he didn’t hold CC rights.
The salaries they pay themselves is sickening.
The first thing FF did when they got into government last time was give TDs a pay rise. Probably be the same again. And what about the expenses they get. Should.be stopped as their 113k wages should cover that. 174 TDs is also ridiculous for a country this size. I know we need one for every 30k people, but do we really. Toibin is the first TD in a long time to talk sense.
@did you every wonder: He didn’t say anything about reducing his own wages. He wants to reduce the wages for jobs he will never have. I look forward to his private members bill on this proposal or could he just possibly be spouting populist cant just to get some easy media coverage?
@did you every wonder: Couldn’t agree more, 100 TDs would be more than enough, and would probably be too much. Change it to one per 50k or higher.
Why are Irish teachers going abroad? Why are Irish doctors and nurses going abroad?
Why are Irish engineers going abroad?
Why is Irish navy understaffed?
Why are some Irish libraries on reduced opening hours?
Why are there such long waiting lists for OT?
Why is our public dental service in a shambles?
@Me Me: why didnt you run in the election and sort it out. By the way, teachers are well paid, best in Europe , and for your information the vast majority of people return home
@Peter Byrne: w ww.euronews.com /next /2023/07/05/teachers-pay-which-countries-pay-the-most-and-the-least-in-europe
Interesting stats here, which blows your ‘best in Europe’ claim out of the water.
But my basic point is that if you want libraries you must pay librarians a decent salary. If you want a good naval service you must ensure good conditions of service. If you want OT available where needed you must ensure sufficient number if OTs. People who complain about public servant salaries should stand back and look at the quality if the service being provided.
@Me Me: I was one of those that went abroad and came home. The simple answer is I wanted to travel. I sometimes envy people who have family abroad and are going visiting them. Better than just down the country. The is too much negativity.
@Me Me: because they want to enjoy themselves
Blocked comments. You know you have to positive spin garbage
The undignified grabbing & squabbling for the position of Fattened Calf/Ceann Comhairle, shows that all the Political Class have only one agenda, self ! The working people & the national interest are secondary to enriching themselves. This is an outrageous salary, plus perks for sitting on your hole, it shouldn’t necessitate an elected politician to chair the Dail, it could be held by a Civil Servant at a lower salary & if legislation is needed to change that, bring it in. They won’t agree on who should have it & some of the Fianna Failer’s will throw the toys out of the pram if they don’t get it. The whole saga encapsulates the pathetic state our Country is in, the Elite squabbling over the Largesse & the Working Families struggling with basic Cost of Living.
@SV3tN8M4: Verona Murphy is an independent politician and wants the job.
He just gives me the creeps.
@lastfewchocices: People wanting TDs to be as well paid as they are give me the creeps.
Aontu is trying to find ways to become popular so they can force their ideology on others. I hope people don’t fall for it.
@Todd Hebert: It’s the same playbook that the Repubs in the US use; spread fear about every change (except climate change), portray themselves as god fearing and constantly whine about government.
The level of ignorance of politics and public matters in this country is astonishing and, unfortunately, getting worse. TDs haven’t been able to increase their own salaries for years. They fall under the same public sector agreements that apply to gardai, nurses, civil servants, firefighters, teachers, etc. Tobin already knows this but continues to engage in the conspiracy theories that pay him handsomely while spreading lies.
@Tom Slattery: Your level of gov spin is atrocious!! Point is that all Politicians are paid too much.. They also gave themselves payrises and bonuses during Covid while others suffered.
@Tom Slattery: Your spin on this is embarrassing, to say the least …
@Tom Slattery: incorrect
@Tom Slattery: I get your point. Basically civil servants have a pay scale. Plus I suspect for most of the elite, well-paid civil servants, it’s a wfh, unionised job for life with a great pension. So why is he singing out TDs when we can at least boot them out every 5 years?
Thank you all for proving my point.
While the level of pay is high, it should be. I do believe that they should be paid well to prevent the risk of corruption. On the other hand the penalties if you are found to be corrupt should be severe.
If he is serious about reducing costs then look at the population to TD ratio to reduce the amount of TDs. This might have the effect of diluting the democratic representation though.
@james lynch: Requires a referendum to change the constitution.
@james lynch: Even the oversight system protects them, look at SIPO & Robert Troy. This country is rotten to the core.
Verona Murphy they might want to look into her bullying allegations and the fact she had to pay out 20000 euros in one such case.
All their salaries should be cut in half they get too much and not worth it
I assume Paedar is trying to make sure he doesn’t have to join the government and roll his sleeves up. Maybe we should cut the wages of opposition TDs??
I agree with Toibin on this issue. The speaker is grossly overpaid! The speaker of the House of Commons is paid a little over £77,000 per annum. The speaker of the US House of Representatives is paid $174,000 per annum. Both the US and the UK are G7 countries, and their respective parliaments sit for longer than our Dail.
Verona Murphy anti vax anti immigration loves an aul conspiracy theory (kids as young as 3-4 in Ireland are members of isis). She sounds well balanced and neutral. A good fit
Turkeys are voting for Christmas
@RIP: more like Turkeys voting for vegans.
No wonder Verona wants it.
BAM always get a hard time here – they have build and run several very successful PPPs involving schools in this state, has that been forgotten conveniently?
Gravy train continues an absolute joke of a government who signs off on these astronomical salaries for these corrupt gangsters? An allowance of 142k for what sitting in a chair a few times a week saying ” times up now next person ” or let’s have calm now come on we are al adults in here ”
easy to say, though agreed and needed.
but who would take the decision ?
what about the normal folk that should have an increase depending on inflation ?
He has a point. Most front bench TD’s are just mouth pieces who have highly paid consults and advisers that are the real power behind thinking and decision making for the government
Aontú talking common sense once again. In fact, there should be term limits on Dáil members and Seanad members as well. You should be only allowed to serve a maximum of eight years in each House and the Ceann Comhairle’s salary should be equal to that of TDs and not a penny extra. We have term limits for the President, so why not the Legislative branch of government as well? You should also have to be at 35 years old to run for the Dáil or the Seanad just like the President and the voting age should be raised to 25 years old to reflect the fact that is the age when a person’s brain is fully developed and that they don’t just vote the same way as their friends. We need a more serious and professional governmental system in place and these reforms would go a long way.
……and in another story! Are we going to get serious and bring inflation down! We are fed a whole load of boll*x from various Government and Euro institutions that inflation has fallen below the ‘magic’ 2%! Tell me then why my weekly shop is at least 20%+ higher than it was this time last year!!!!!…..when it should be 2% cheaper? The whole method of calculating inflation is totally out of kilter with everyday expenses.
Mr.Tobín is correct when he says TDs salaries are not in the real world.
@Gerry Conway: that’s not how inflation works, a 2% rate doesn’t mean your shopping will be cheaper, it means prices are still rising by 2%. And the thing with inflation is, usually, when prices go up they stay up. They should and could be able to do something about ebergy prices though.
@Gerry Conway: Fuel Cartels sneaked in another Price Increase last night, while Micheal Martin & Simon Harris sit on their hands. When you don’t have to pay for the Driver, Tax, Insurance, Diesel & the purchase of a high end Mercedes, you become insulated from the reality of every day working families, it’s easier for Micheal Martin & Simon Harris to allow the Cartels place undue hardship on working families, than tackle the Cost of Living crisis.
@Dermot Blaine: thanks,yes of course my shop should be c. 2% higher than it was last year. ( I inadvertently said it should be around 2% cheaper!!!! Silly me!) I’d take it being 2% dearer ….but not 20% dearer as it actually is!
It’s a reasonable point though seems like a lot of dosh!
@Hotirish: well he has some amount of angry disruptive children to control who are adamant at roaring and shouting
Gr
@Tom Mc Sweeney: Grrrrrrrrrrr…….
@Willie Marty: no wonder the Murphy one is after the job …sets her up for life.
@Willie Marty:
The Reverend Mother is a light weight do gooder.
he’s only a party leader because sf wouldn’t let his religious beliefs dictate policy.
All seems to be populistic BS…
If you reduce the salary of TDs then expect to get a lower standard… Here is an example… There is no TD in the Dail that has a degree in Computers or IT… I don’t know how many come from a Pharma or Medical Device background…
These are two of our major employments in the country and they have little to no representation…
Teachers, Farmers and Law are very well represented.
We don’t have elected representatives that understand the basic stages of an IT Project and we wonder why IT projects in the government are riddled with problems.
Any one that high up IT needs to be paid a market rate…
@Jack Dermody: in the aftermath of his teacher comments, Michael o Leary said we should half the number of TDs but pay them double. He might have a point.
I was speaking to an elderly relative of a Minister before the election and asked why are so many TDs and Ministers retiring, as they were before the election. His response was that “they are too well paid”. It’s a problem on a number of fronts. Tax reductions should have been prioritised rather that pay increases over the last few years
It’s a hard job.give me a break.
What a load of nonsense though do think the leader of the government should be paid the most
Typical Ireland, nothing but a gravy train. Salaries in the Public Sector are a joke, not to mention the pensions.
I don’t see him refusing the salary. All good and well trying to gain support by saying populist things, but he knows very well that nothing he says will ever be implemented. Meanwhile he happily fills in his expenses sheet and gets his Dail salary every month. He is an absolute snake of a person. Just like most of them.
Peadar is looking more like a Taoiseach every day!
Nice one Peadar! There a so many elephants in the room I doubt that there’ll be enough room for 174 TD’s.
This guy needs to have a surgically implanted gobstopper.
He’s a pure definition of all mouth no action
Good job if you can get it . Fair play to him and all TD’s. There is no way they will vote for a pay cut.
I am shocked with how much of our money they pay themselves.
It’s the season that we’re in , turkeys voting for Christmas, not likely.
Ten seats Tobin speaking words of wisdom. If anyone’s any idea what’s going on it’s not definitely Tenseats. He must be driven demented with Meethéal banging on his door begging for him to coalesce.
And Turkeys vote for Christmas.
#prayforlarrymullen
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