Horan Brendan: Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHoran Brendan: Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 12 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:14579. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]BRENDAN HORAN (Independent): We are debating Part 2 of the Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Bill. Part 2 of the bill—clauses 9 to 15—is entitled “Salaries and allowances of members of Parliament” and it starts off importantly by stating that the Remuneration Authority determines the salaries and allowances of members of Parliament. I have Supplementary Order Paper 368 which I would like to address. It inserts new clause 9A and would address the practice not required by law of the authority giving MPs a pay rise every Christmas. It may be nice but is it fair? Is it justified? What new clause 9A will do is this. The Remuneration Authority will set the pay rate for MPs before each general election and that pay rate that determination will apply for the full 3-year term of Parliament. MPs’ wages will be fixed for each term of Parliament if that amendment is adopted.Last Christmas in December I promised that I would put forward an amendment in a bid to get Parliament to agree that salaries would be set by the Remuneration Authority before the next election. This keeps that promise. Three weeks ago I wrote to all parties in Parliament seeking their support. Quite honestly I cannot understand why anyone would vote against this. If adopted the new law would still require the Remuneration Authority to independently set the salaries of MPs. The difference is that the determination would be published about 3 months before the election. That way every candidate running for Parliament and all the voters will know the remuneration of MPs for the next 3 years. Voters will choose their MPs and we will have an end to the spectacle of Christmas back-pay bonuses.A commentator said that unless MPs enjoy the annual self-flagellation they go through they should vote for this Supplementary Order Paper. He went on to say: “Some MPs may be reluctant to support this amendment because it is from Horan.” I do not know that particular commentator very well at all but I would say that that would be very short-sighted and cutting off the nose to spite the face. Certainly I would appeal to every party every member here to support this Supplementary Order Paper. We are elected for a fixed term of 3 years. None of us can be certain that we will be returned in November 2014. Yes I will be a candidate at the general election and I may or may not be back. I would say to the honourable David Bennett and the honourable Mark Mitchell that they cannot take for granted the green leather that they are seated in over there. It is up to the voters to exercise their judgment and those members might not like the verdict of the public this time next year. We are here on a fixed-term contract and it is appropriate that the voters and the candidates should know before the election what the pay is going to be. It is called openness and transparency.Last Christmas we had the shameful treatment of KiwiRail’s safety maintenance crews where they lost their jobs and were made redundant. And we had the ridiculous situation where a train driver from Veolia Transport Auckland fell through rotting sleepers in a track. Being made redundant is not fair and it is certainly not fair that workers are being made redundant at Christmas and then hearing that MPs are getting apay rise. It sticks in the craw. I found that out last year as we all did and I would hate to think that it would happen again. Thank you.The question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 389 in the name of the Rt Hon John Key to Part 2 be agreed to.Amendments agreed to.The question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 368 in the name of Brendan Horan to Part 2 be agreed to.