Their salaries come before lucrative expenses packages and allowances for offices, phones, travel and subsistence are added.

The Irish Independent says that the massive wage rises accepted by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and his ministers have put politicians' pay into sharp focus.

Despite the Dáil sitting for fewer than 100 days a year, the TDs' pay bill now stands at €20.3m -- an average of €122,000 each. The pay of a TD was €44,068 in 1997.

New Zealand has a comparable economy and population as Ireland but has 120 members of parliament in a single chamber system compared with 216 members of the Irish parliament - the Oireachtas (Lower Chamber 166 members; Upper Chamber 60 members.)

The base pay of a New Zealand MP in 2008 is €69,000 and last year, the base pay of a member of the Australian House of Representatives was €72,000 per annum.

In contrast with the 1930's practice in Ireland of shuttering the parliament for periods that are longer than an Irish school pupil's typical holidays, January is the only month in which the New Zealand parliament doesn't sit.

In 1999, in a non-binding referendum, the New Zealand people voted to reduce the number of MPs to 99: some 84% voted in favour.

The Independent says that only 27 out of the 166 TDs are now on the basic salary of €95,363 -- the minimum wage for TDs.

Later this year, this minimum wage will break the €100,000 mark, when pay rises under the 'Towards 2016' wage agreement kick in.

The average industrial wage now stands at around €33,000, only about a third that of a TD. On top of their €95,363 basic salary, TDs are getting a range of pensionable top-up bonuses for holding ministerial office and Oireachtas positions or long-service bonuses.

900,000 Irish workers have no occupational pension but a TD can get a pension of 5O% after 20 year service.

The country is 15 miles from Leinster House and an overnight allowance is payable even though the TD may not stay in Dublin.

An audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General's office in 2007, found that a pint costs as little as €3.70 in the Dáil visitors' bar, more than 35% cheaper than elsewhere in Dublin.

Documents obtained and compiled by the Sunday Independent in 2007, under Freedom of Information show that despite their close proximity to Leinster House, the travel expenses of some of the Dublin TDs were more than those of a large number of their rural colleagues.

One of those topping the Dublin list is FF's Charlie O'Connor, who, according to the released figures, received €28,602 for travel and subsistence expenses over the 12-month period.

All Dublin TDs receive €8,227 in a constituency travel allowance and miscellaneous expense allowances, and all claimed additional travel expenses and subsistence during the year, including for trips abroad.

Some of those taking home tidy sums in expenses include members of FG's front bench as well as then leader of the Green Party Trevor Sargent who took home €20,900 despite living in Balbriggan.

55 TDs, a third of all Dáil deputies, and eight Senators were also paid expenses in excess of €60,000.

 

Top-ups mean 139 TDs are now on salaries over €100,000, including every Fianna Fail and Green Party deputy.

The Irish Independent says that the Taoiseach's decision to increase the number of Junior Ministers and Oireachtas committees after the general election means more TDs than ever are benefiting financially from the complex bonus payments structures in Leinster House.

Aside from the 15 Cabinet Ministers, there's another 20 Junior Ministers.

The lucrative Oireachtas in house system sees 23 Oireachtas Committee chairpersons and five members of the body responsible for running the Oireachtas all being paid an extra €19,058.

The newspaper says that the Green Party's TDs will pick up an extra €1.5m for sticking with Fianna Fail in Government for a full five-year term.

Aside from the ministerial salaries, the Green backbenchers are taking their slice from the Oireachtas committees' cake worth €900,000 per annum.

All six of the Green Party TDs are now picking up an additional payment from being in coalition, worth €300,000 a year in total.

If the Greens last the full five-year course, that's an extra €1.5m in income for their TDs.