Sinn Féin spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Mairéad Farrell TD, has said eye-watering levels of remuneration provided to Junior Ministers and Super Junior Ministers is an outrageous slap in the face to the public at a time when there are still over 100,000 people without electricity and water following Storm Éowyn.

Deputy Farrell said that when people learn that the government was busy topping up the pay of ministers while resisting calls for the Dáil to sit at a time of national crisis and sitting on their hands when first offered EU assistance, they will be outraged.

Teachta Farrell said:

“Since the weekend I have been travelling the length and breadth of Galway dealing with people who have had their homes badly damaged, who have been days without power, water and phone signal.

“These are people who can’t wash themselves, cook or heat their homes. Many are having to travel long distances just to get phone signals to contact their loved ones.

“Like my party colleagues, I have been calling for the Dáil to sit this week to deal with the emergency.

“Instead, they have been too busy trying to decide what goodies they can give themselves.

“The government has been too busy giving eye-watering salary top-ups for Junior/Super Junior Ministers to reconvene the Dáil to address the fallout of Storm Éowyn.

“As reported in today’s Irish Times, those 23 Junior Ministers will get their TD salary of €113,679, they will also get their salary top-up as a Minister for State of €45,846, in addition to an extension of an allowance for travel and accommodation, ranging from €6,000 up to €32,000.

“So, a Junior Minister will get a maximum of €191,525. If you happen to be one of the four Super Junior Ministers, you will also get another €13,145 on top of this. That would bring your total package to €204,670.

“Packages of roughly €192,000 and €205,000 for people who didn’t think it was necessary to cut their mid-term break short to deal with one of the worst storms we’ve ever had.

“‘Fiddling while Rome burns’ comes to mind.

“This will come as a real slap in the face to those who still don’t have access to water, heat or electricity.

“You will struggle to find anyone who thinks providing Junior and Super Junior Ministers with pay packages exceeding what most heads of states in the world are paid is money well spent.

“If they were paid on a performance basis, like some people are, they would have earned very little based on this week’s performance.”