Will the Taoiseach comment on the salary increases for special advisers which are in direct breach of Cabinet guidelines? An adviser to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government was paid €85,750 to advise him on everything relating to housing and Irish Water, which is €5,000 above the recommended level. The Minister for Finance who wants to impose austerity on the people of Greece sought to have an adviser paid €3,000 more than the Cabinet guidelines. This was initially rejected because, in the words of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, there was "no compelling reason to sanction the increase," yet five days later, he granted the increase. What was the compelling reason for this? The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources had an adviser put on a salary of €91,624, €12,000 higher than the salary originally offered. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine secured a €25,000 salary increase last July for an adviser. I would like an explanation for these increases. However, this exposes that there is no austerity for the Government. The Taoiseach has created a culture of privilege and a golden circle that rivals the old Fianna Fáil one. Meanwhile the Government has imposed pay cuts on front-line staff, destroyed public services and social protections and cut benefits for the most vulnerable. For example, a special category of lone parents who are also carers will lose €86 per week if the Government goes ahead with its cuts to the one-parent family payment which will push all lone parent families further into poverty. Does the Taoiseach accept that the continued breach of pay guidelines by Ministers for advisers is also in breach of his election promises and much vaunted commitment to the reform of the political system?

I notice that the salaries of special advisers in Northern Ireland have increased from Stg£90,000 to Stg£110,000 and I did not hear the Deputy comment on this.

It is all right so.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform received claims for increases in salary from a number of Ministers and ruled on them based on experience and competence. Many of the claims were rejected at the levels sought and ruled on by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

That was a short answer which did not deal with the question. The Taoiseach is living in a bubble.

What about the Deputy's trampoline?

Every so often when he comes into House, we try to prick his little bubble. It is not surprising that he is insulated from many of these difficulties------

There is not much insulation in a trampoline

------because he is paid more than the President of France which has a population of 64 million. The Tánaiste's chief of staff is on a salary of €144,550, almost as much as the Taoiseach and the President of France. Her economic adviser is on a salary of €114,424 and she sought to have a former PA put on a salary of €79,401 before eventually settling for a figure of €75,000.

What about Sinn Féin's MPs on the Queen's shilling?

Would it not be great if the Tánaiste negotiated as strongly on behalf of all citizens in difficulty, particularly lone parents?

The Deputy negotiated well for his MPs.

While she lobbies for these extravagant pay hikes for her advisers, contrary to what the Taoiseach said, she plans to lower the cut-off age for one-parent family payment to seven years from 2 July. A total of 63% of one-parent households are living without basic necessities. How on earth will they live after these draconian cuts are made by the Government? Thousands will be pushed into dire, extreme poverty. In the light of the hardship caused and what is being imposed on citizens through the Government's austerity policies, does the Taoiseach agree that the continued breach of pay guidelines for extremely well paid ministerial advisers is entirely unacceptable? This is the question I asked previously, which he ignored. It is shameful and an insult to citizens. Will he stop these obscene pay rises and halt the cuts to the entitlements of lone parent families?

I have dealt with the question on lone parents. The reforms are being introduced to move people from social protection dependency and give them the opportunity to achieve financial independence by getting a job that pays in their own interests and those of their families.

Halt the cuts.

We have one of the highest rates of jobless households in Europe, which is the cause of the difficulties for thousands of people in terms of the availability of finance at the end of the week to look after their families, households and themselves. The path out of it, in which the Deputy does not believe, is by giving people jobs and opportunities because work can pay.

That is so insulting to lone parent families.

What about child care?

The reforms are to the disregard to let people have an opportunity to upskill, retrain, get a job and have financial independence. We have created 80,000 new jobs in the past few years, while 40,000 new jobs will be created this year. I hope many of these jobs will go to lone parents who can move into the world of work and have a job that will give them financial independence in order that they will have more money to spend on their families and on the opportunities that present. They can never have this when year after year, generation after generation, there is unemployment and dependence on social protection.

The Deputy referred to living in bubbles. I would like him in some of his statements or tweets to answer the questions I understand have been levelled at his party and the way it raises money.

Are they posed by Fine Gael trolls?

It is interesting that Sinn Féin is by now far and away the best resourced party in the country.

Ours is a 32 county party in two states.

The allegations are untrue. Why will the Taoiseach not answer the question?

Everybody else seems to have to own up, rightly, about from where the money comes. When the Deputy levels accusations, I do not know whether they are true or false. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has ruled on the appropriate levels for claims for increases. He has shot down most of them and determined what the levels should be.

What about the ones he has given? Are they okay?

The advisers do a very important job-----

Of spinning.

-----in the implementation of the programme for Government. I do not accept Deputy Gerry Adams's assertion. The reason for the reforms is to give people an opportunity, motivation and an incentive to move away from dependence on social protection into the world of work.

Give to the wealthy. It is not fair.

What reforms?

Keeping them dependent is all Sinn Féin is interested in.

I have outlined the reforms for Deputy Micheál Martin on two occasions this morning.

That is insulting to the families.