What do you think is a fair salary for TDs, Ministers etc?

noodler

We are obsessed.

Point of illustration.

The entire public service are getting a 2% pay rise on October 1st. Some 330,000 people.

Politicians, in order that their pay be in some sense transparent are linked to that of a Principal Officer in the Civil Service. So they will get this 2%.

Yet the media and social media commentary around it is a farce tbh. You'd swear they were the only ones getting it and had made specific decision to give themselves pay rises.

Id abolish unvouched expenses too. It's administratively painful to vouch everything for your daily role as a politician but there outrage around it is too distracting.

The pension is obviously good but that is there for s reason imo. Politicians who take the right, albeit, hard choices for their country are invariably voted out. I wouldn't want the moral hazard to be any worse than it already is.

For Forks Sake

Sorolla wrote: »

Each TD should get €120k

Cabinet Minister €150k

Taoiseach € 200k

Unvouched expenses should be abolished

Each TD gets staff provided by the state (civil servants) - this will cut out the practice of employing family members

TDs should get free Iarnrod Eireann annual tickets

Does this keep Pearse Doherty in, or away from the Dáil? Because that's going to skew my approval of your proposal

StupidLikeAFox

Suckit wrote: »

I don't ever get this when people say it.

I think the perception is that it's a 24/7 job, you are constantly on call, constantly under scrutiny by the opposition, journalists and the general public - constantly defending what you are doing, what you have done in the past, what you have failed to do etc etc. Your interview panel consists of 10s of thousands of people and you need to re-interview for the position every 5 years maximum. That's the perception anyway, I'm sure there are some people coasting away in a TDs role but if you are not seen to be working hard you will be ****ed out the next time around

Suckit

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

I think the perception is that it's a 24/7 job, you are constantly on call, constantly under scrutiny by the opposition, journalists and the general public - constantly defending what you are doing, what you have done in the past, what you have failed to do etc etc. Your interview panel consists of 10s of thousands of people and you need to re-interview for the position every 5 years maximum. That's the perception anyway, I'm sure there are some people coasting away in a TDs role but if you are not seen to be working hard you will be ****ed out the next time around

Ideally, that would be true. I can think of at least 4 or 5 (in my general area) that are coasting and doing nothing.
I get that they are constantly under scrutiny, not so much on call, and often can blend in and escape unscathed from any journalists intent on attacking them.
Many get in purely on the basis of the party that they are associated with, regardless of whether or not they are actually any good. Some get in purely because they were related to another politician.
I honestly cannot remember the last time I have seen/heard an Irish politician with an original thought. Earning their wage.

da_miser

Average salary in Ireland is EUR 51,509
https://www.averagesalarysurvey.com/ireland#:~:text=Average%20salary%20in%20Ireland%20is%20EUR%2051%2C509%20%28US%24,education%2C%20experience%2C%20gender%2C%20age%20etc.%20Advanced%202019%2F20%20Survey.
TD's any elected official, civil servant or anyone getting paid by the tax payer should not be getting paid more, if they are not happy , go work in the private sector.

ILoveYourVibes

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

Everybody gives out about the TDs pay. "They are paid too much" they say, "I'd like to see them do the job at minimum wage" is another one. And then there is the expenses, oh lord! The expenses are another racket!

So I put it to the good people of boards, what do you think is a fair salary for doing the job of a TD, minister, tanaiste or Taoiseach? Should it be voluntary? Should it be the average Ind wage? Is the current salary acceptable?

For reference, here's what they are on: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/salaries-and-allowances/salaries/

I think the ceann comhairle is on the handiest number - pulls in an additional €80k a year without any responsibility or decision making. Sean OFearghaile got elected to third seat in a 3 seat constituency (8,200 votes) in 2016. He will do two terms as CC which will earn him potentially 720k in CC allowances. This is on top of 3 terms in the dail, potentially 1.4m in salary. Plus expenses. So potentially 14 years and 2.1m off the back of a single, mediocre election win. In that time he doesn't even need to take a position on anything or face a single tough interview - mad stuff

50k a year.

Contributions to their pension to be depending on how long they serve. The package now is ridic they get the whole package for just serving one term.


Also cut their allowances ..public rep allowance travel allowance etc

WE CONTRIBUTE 90K to their pension each year for each td ..after just serving one term and we continue to contribute that every year even if they never serve as a td after that.


Total annual cost of each Minister to the state: €577,635

RIDICULOUS

It should be half that.