A FIANNA Fáil TD has called on the government to have a constitutional referendum, on the same day as the local and European elections, that will change the law and make the judiciary take pay cuts.

It is currently illegal, under the constitution, for judges to be subjected to pay cuts and Tipperary South TD Mattie McGrath told a recent Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting this law should be changed immediately.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune, he said, "We can't have any sacred cows in this situation and everyone has to take the pain. If this means having a constitutional referendum on 5 June then it should be put in place immediately. Any other people that are mysteriously sheltered from such cuts or the income levy should be hit as it is appalling for ordinary people that they are not. They are administering justice so they have to be seen to be in the same situation as everyone else."

McGrath also believes there should be a cap on all public-service pay, and redundancy payouts for people such as the regulator and bankers. "We should change the legislation for at least four or five years till we get through this crisis," he said.

McGrath has also controversially told Fianna Fáil he believes "the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism should be scrapped and at least 10 ministers of state should be taken away".

"There is no money for Sports Council grants so why do we need a whole department if they have no money to give out. The department should be stood down and subsumed into other departments."