asked the Taoiseach if and when the Government intend to introduce proposals for the equation of salaries of Ministers in charge of Government Departments with those of High Court judges, and of the Taoiseach with that of the Chief Justice.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ministers' Salaries.
The question of raising the salaries of members of the Government and the allowances of Deputies and Senators is under consideration. A decision has not yet been taken.
Quite apart from any proposal to raise the allowances of Deputies, which would be an outrage, does the Taoiseach not think that the time has come to consider the question of Ministers' salaries, quite independent of the Parliamentary allowances of members of the Dáil or Seanad, who are part-time, whereas Ministers are whole-time employees of the community?
I think the whole matter has to be considered in view of the diminished purchasing power of money.
Does the Taoiseach maintain that there is any analogy between the taxable salary of a Minister and the allowances which are tax free in that they are allowances of Deputies and Senators? The two things are quite different.
I am not suggesting that the two are exactly on the same level, but both need to be attended to.