Three of Carlow Kilkenny’s TDs voted in favour of a pay increase for some Ministers of State.
On Friday the Dáíl passed a Bill giving a €16,000 allowance to three Super Junior Ministers – on top of their €124,000 salary.
Fianna Fáil’s Jennifer Murnane O’Connor and John McGuinness voted the bill in, along with Green TD Malcolm Noonan.
Sinn Féin’s Kathleen Funchion voted against it, while it’s understood that Fine Gael TD John Paul Phelan was not present at the vote.
Deputy Funchion says the pay increase can’t be justified:
“I don’t believe there was any reason or justification for such a pay increase for the so-called junior ministers. Since 2017, any pay increases given to TDs, Sinn Féin TDs have not accepted them” she told KCLR Live. “I think Friday’s vote would have been particularly difficult for anyone who has lost work, or who had wages cut due to Covid, or indeed has had their pandemic payment cut. I don’t think there was any need for it at all, so that’s why I was happy to vote against it.”
