Oireachtas bonus - Extra staff is impossible to justify

WHAT a self-interested bunch of elected representatives we have in Ireland.

Not content with lavish pay, perks and pensions, the 161 TDs in the Dáil are about to land another bonus - a personal research assistant, each with an annual salary of €40,000.

On top of that, senators would get 30 extra secretaries while staffing of Oireachtas committees would also be increased. At a stroke, the move escalates the annual budget for running Leinster House from €82 million to €106m.