I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
Pensions in respect of ministerial and parliamentary offices were initiated by the Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Act, 1938, which was largely based on the recommendations of a committee of inquiry into ministerial and other salaries in 1937. While the committee accepted that the offices of Minister and Ceann Comhairle should be pensionable they considered that a gratuity only should be payable to former Parliamentary Secretaries and that no provision should be made for the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. The Government accepted the committee's recommendations, except that they decided to make the office of Parliamentary Secretary pensionable.
It is clear, however, that there was support for equating the benefits for Parliamentary Secretary and Leas-Cheann Comhairle, as it was only after considerable discussion that the committee decided that the latter would not qualify for a gratuity. Furthermore, the committee found that the duties devolving on the Leas-Cheann Comhairle were onerous and for all practical purposes demanded his whole-time attention, if the essential requirements of the office were to be fulfilled. This remains true today and warrants making the office pensionable, especially when account is taken of the widespread extension of pensionability to employments in recent years.
The Bill, therefore, makes the office of Leas-Cheann Comhairle pensionable on the same basis as applies to the office of Parliamentary Secretary. It also covers any past holders of the office still alive, or their widows, and pensions will be payable as from a date not earlier than the passing of the Act.
I commend the Bill to the House.