TDs are being encouraged by the Minister for Finance to seek salary increases of around 29 per cent to bring them into line with principal officers in the civil and public service.
The Minister, Mr McCreevy, said that the TDs who are currently on a salary of £36,000 should not be afraid to seek an increase equivalent to about £200 a week to give them parity with the principal officers who are on an annual salary of about £50,000 at present.
The Minister's words of encouragement for his Oireachtas colleagues came within 24 hours after he had warned the general public against seeking large pay increases. It was not long since the country was on the brink of bankruptcy, he reminded the electorate. With negotiations on a replacement for the current Partnership 2000 due to get under way in the autumn, Mr McCreevy is adamant that large pay increases could make the Celtic Tiger economy uncompetitive.
Nonetheless, he said, politicians should not be afraid to give themselves a rise "like any other group". Politicians tended to shy away from giving themselves a rise, he acknowledged, despite the fact that they found it difficult to make ends meet, given their substantial workload.
In the past, he said they had been subjected to unfair criticism in the media on the issue.
Senators, who are currently on £24,000 per annum, are expected to seek a pro rata increase when the review of the salaries of Oireachtas members gets under way in January.