They are calling it the Revenge of Noel Dempsey. Frustrated in his attempt to get his cherished dual mandate legislation through because of the opposition of the four Independents, he is now proposing to the Government that TDs and Senators who also serve on local authorities should not be paid for the latter job. In the original legislation proposed by the Minister for the Environment, local authority members would receive an annual salary of £10,000. But this was posited on the assumption TDs and Senators would be surrendering their local authority jobs.
Now this is not going to happen, Dempsey is determined to stop them having two salaries. A Department spokesman said the Minister was due to present his proposal to Cabinet this week, but was too ill to leave home. He has been under doctor's orders for two weeks, the spokesman added.