THE OFFER by three Ministers of State to stand down if asked by Taoiseach Brian Cowen in order to save the State money has angered Fianna Fáil backbenchers.
The three, Martin Mansergh, Seán Power and Conor Lenihan, have all accepted that the number of Ministers of State could fall from the existing 20. Official figures show that the juniors, who are each paid €150,000 a year, are backed up by 200 civil servants costing €8 million, with over one-third of them handling constituency issues.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen is already known to have been irritated by the controversy, sparked by a call from Green Party chairman Senator Dan Boyle.
In Tokyo yesterday, the Taoiseach’s spokesman said Mr Cowen had “observed that every Minister had a job of work to do and that the workload was increasing all the time, especially in light of the current economic situation”.
However, the spokesman said: “The Taoiseach has also said on numerous occasions that all areas of expenditure are under review.”
Privately, a succession of Fianna Fáil TDs described the three Ministers’ actions as “bizarre” and “an act of self-flagellation” that will achieve little.
Mr Cowen believes the issue is a distraction at a time when more serious issues need to be focused upon, but the question remains as to what he will do given that it has become a matter of public debate.
Minister of State for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Seán Power said the number of Ministers of State could be cut by between a quarter and a third. “We could run a more efficient operation with a smaller number,” he said.
Saying that he would “be more than happy” to stand down, if asked, Mr Power said any politician who was asked if the Ministers’ of State workload could be handled by a smaller number would have to answer yes.
“We’re asking the Irish people to make major sacrifices and I think as a Government it’s vital that we’re not asking Irish people to do something that we’re not prepared to do ourselves,” he said.
The Green Party has said that while Mr Boyle had broached the idea, they do not intend formally to propose it at Cabinet.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said the Green Party call should be considered. However, he added that his job had been made more manageable since he was allocated Minister of State Noel Ahern to help with parliamentary duties. “I think the political class has to be seen to be giving a good example and I think [a cut in the number of Ministers of State] should be considered along with a whole range of other measures,” he said.
Minister of State at the Department of Finance Martin Mansergh, who said on Tuesday that he would be willing to place his office “at the disposition of the Taoiseach”, said his constituents would not be happy if he was demoted.
His colleague, Minister of State for Agriculture and Fisheries Tony Killeen, said he believed a junior minister would have to stay in charge of fisheries “whether that is me, or not”.
He also said many TDs who had previously received an additional €25,000 for chairing Oireachtas committees had lost that income on being promoted to junior ministerial ranks.