Micheál Martin defends plan to increase number of TDs amid Irish boundaries review

Asked if the Irish people want to pay for more TDs, Mr Martin said that “democracy is not perfect”.

Micheál Martin said politicians are ‘not an expense we can’t afford’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The Tánaiste has defended plans to increase the number of the country’s politicians, arguing they are not “an expense we can’t afford”.

Micheál Martin was in Oxford on Friday ahead of attending the British-Irish Association conference.