€97k TD: I’d make more as a plumber

A senior Labour TD has claimed he would earn more as a plumber than the €97,000 he receives for sitting in the Dáil.

Labour chief whip Emmet Stagg spoke as he defended Fine Gael colleague Brian Hayes who insisted junior ministers with salaries of €121,000 a year are not on “super, super pay”.

Mr Stagg, who receives a TD’s salary of €87,258 plus an allowance of €10,000 for his role as chief whip, said his pay had reduced by 60% due to cutbacks since 2009.