Kenny: FG would slash TD numbers, abolish Seanad
Enda Kenny said tonight that in Government Fine Gael was committed to reducing the number of TDs in the Dáil by more than 20, and abolishing the Seanad completely
"A second house of the Oireachtas can no longer be justified." Mr Kenny said, adding that two-thirds of all European parliaments are unicameral.
Mr Kenny also said his party would "drastically" reduce ministers' pay and introduce a fair and transparent expenses regime for all Oireachtas members.
Speaking at his party's presidential dinner in Dublin, Mr Kenny told around 1,300 guests that the abolition of the Seanad and the reduction of over 20 TDs would save an estimated €150m over the term of a Dáil..
“I don’t want Fine Gael to simply talk about change," Mr Kenny said.
"I want to demonstrate that we mean what we say. To persuade the electorate that we are serious about change, we ourselves have to embody that change.”
Mr Kenny also pledged that in Government, Fine Gael would create 100,000 jobs on the back of its €11bn plan to invest in key infrastructures such as energy, broadband and water.
He also said that Ireland's "failed two-tier health system" would be replaced by his party's FairCare model for a one-tier universal health system, and promised to reform control of the public purse.
Mr Kenny said that in the next General Election the Irish people would be looking for " more than a change of faces around the Cabinet table".
"They will want a Government that is truly committed to radical change," he said. "Fine Gael will be that Government."
