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PLANS BY THE Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to cut the allowances of Independent TDs and Senators have been sharply criticised.
Minister Brendan Howlin published a report on Monday that proposes to cut the allowance, which cost the taxpayer €7.5 million in 2011. Under the system, Independent TDs drew down an average of nearly €40,000, while Senators received €23,000.
The reforms will see Howlin introduce an auditing process to the unvouched scheme that will add new provisions to how money can be spent.
However a number of independent TDs have told TheJournal.ie that they are being unfairly targeted and that any cuts to allowances should be made across the board. Dublin North-Central TD Finian McGrath says that he would support a number of cuts to allowances, as long as political parties took the same cuts.
“I’ve always said that I am in favour of reforms, as long as it goes across the board.
There is a perception that only independent TDs receive funding, but political parties get much more public money than we.
“If he (Howlin) is going to make any cuts, he has to look at his own party first.”
McGrath said that he, and other TDs, could get by with less expenses, but that his allowance allowed him to create jobs.
“I employ people and carry out research with my allowances, but we could definitely take a 50 per cent cut in certain expenses.
“We cannot ask people to take hits and not take hits ourselves. Independent TDs are very supportive of reform and change, but it has to be across the board.”
‘It is unfair.’
Former Labour Party TD Colm Keaveney says that the system is weighted in favour of political parties and against people who, like himself, leave a parliamentary party.
“It is unfair that a large number of emerging independent TDs don’t get any allowances paid to them after leaving the party.
The system is just wrong. The Labour Party benefits from €250,000 in allowances that are paid in respect of TDs who have left the party.
Keaveney added that there is ‘no difference’ in his function and that of a party TD.
“I have the same constitutional obligation and responsibilities as any other TD. There is an inequity there that supports political parties.”
Maureen O’Sullivan, the Dublin Central TD, said she had no difficulty removing all public funding from politics, as long as there was a ‘quid pro quo’ agreement between parties and independents.
“It is designed to level the playing field, but it doesn’t do that. What we get is comparatively insignificant.
“I would be happy to see all public funding of TDs and parties abolished. I know people say that this would leave parties open to corruption, but I think they spend too much on elections anyway.”
Kildare TD Catherine Murphy says that she uses the allowance to employ someone and ‘has no problem’ with vouching her expenses.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party said that the system ‘works both ways’.
“We receive funding immediately after the General Election based on the number of Oireachtas members we have. Before the last General Election, Ivana Bacik joined the party and we received no extra funding, so it works both ways.”
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Why are they still talking about unvouched expenses? I spent €5 yesterday for two cups of coffee at a business meeting and had to produce a receipt and complete two expense forms. However if your in the Dail you can spend thousands without proof that you actually had the expense in the first place. It’s our money their spending!
Absolutely frustrating… Every day it is proven by our news that the default mode of the Irish culture is that of chancers, whingers, begrudgers, cheaters, gready, selfish, non-forward thinking and reactive people. However, there are loads of people who are not average… These people fight for justice, they seek fairness and equality, their honest, sincere, proactive, generous, positive and altruistic.
Why can’t any of the latter become our representatives who govern this country, run our banks or work in the public sector?
Why must the people continue to support inefficient systems? Why must we continue to pay salaries and pensions to people who appear to be productive 5% of the time and out to lunch 95% of the time? Why is it that the people continue to take it up the back side without a struggle?
Is this complacency or something else?
‘unvouched expenses’ should really be called ‘lets see how much i can get away with claiming’. no doubt its most often for the kids private education.. flash new car….. swanky holiday
Those of you interested in understanding the system of Political funding and how it works in practice might take a look at http://www.catherinemurphy.ie/?page_id=3341 where there is a detailed look at the system, the amounts involved, how it is distributed and the realities of same.
@Anne-Marie. .. Great… Thanks!
Leaders allowance for a party of 1 independent. Only in Ireland.
Make me wonder how meetings and voting would work, And who take the minutes not to mention the christmas party and holiday cover and sick days.
If parties are getting the allowance for each of their members then it’s only fair that Independents get the same. FF/FG/Lab love to spin it as a leader’s allowance for a party of one so that they can get away with rejigging the system to benefit big parties even more. Let Howlin get rid of it completely if he is so worried about it, it seems the Independents don’t mind but you can be damn sure the parties would.
What about the Independent TDs deputy leader’s allowance? I suppose they’re cutting this too?
Agree cut or audit the independents allowance but do the same for the parties. Labour get €250k for what? Just being a mudguard for FG. Not an original thought between the lot of them.
Give them all a cut because none of them are leaders shower of cowards targeting the weakest in society.
What are you going to do about it if you feel this way?
Who said I haven’t done anything ! What about yourself ?
Indeed, anyone remember a certain TD’s expenses for a mobile phone account which hadn’t existed at the time the calls were made.
Vouched expenses for all please and maybe pay for getting into work like the rest of us?
I think that was the problem he made up the receipts, either way if you are spending other people money you should have to show how you spent it
Fao richard boyd barrett and his €9k expenses for travelling between the dail and dunlaoirghe for work. I am a Dublin Taxi driver who notches up beteen 1000k to 1500k driving around our city every week. The cost of petrol last year bearing in mind that I took no holidays ( even working xmas day ) came to €7,450 in total. And I have every reciept to account for it.
You greedy basxxrds make me sick
So get all your taxi peers and take to the streets, the whole country should do it, a one day strike from all. Portugal did it, I was living there at the time it was an amazing thing to see! We just moan on Internet or radio….
go Yvonne!! :p
All expenses claimed by all politicians and political parties should be audited fully to ensure transparency, including any funding to political parties. There should be more of a role for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to independently set limits on expenses. Why reforms like these can’t be put in place immediately is beyond me!
And stop the gravy train?! Pah, us peons in the public just wouldn’t understand how hard the politicians have it!
Scrapping all allowances seems like the best choice. Let them all do their own research, it would keep them busy and away from supermarket openings and funerals.
I’ve also have an allowance at work.im allowed to come in and if I don’t I’m fired.
Cut em all
The independents were a huge let down !!!
I’m always amazed at the attendance in both houses at times down to 2 or 3! There is a radical reform needed we don’t need a total of 226 people in power now that we have modern technology. Also we have over 1500 cllrs sitting around the country not including health board and vec’s. Serious reform needed. To much out of public purse!
So McGrath employs people. Probably his relatives.
Expenses should be done away with they get well paid .. And should pay there way to work like everybody else does . It might get rid of some of the sc-m as well
Politicians, TD’s etc have forgotten that their job is to serve the publics interest for the better. Not to line their own pockets. Wake the F**k up and do your job or take a hike. Makes me sick.
Why don’t we just have the Springfield Mayors Office Crest placed over the Dail.
“Corruptus in Extremis”
Somes up, these greedy, immoral, brown envelope taking, failed bank supporters!
So he employs people does he, I’m sure those jobs were advertised in the public domain, definitely no hello first cousin do you wanna do a bit of research?
Unvouched expenses are a simply a tax scam. Nobody in the private sector would get away with this. Any payment you receive from an employer is taxable income unless it is a genuine expense supported by receipts.
Per diem payments generally aren’t vouched and they aren’t taxable up to certain limits.
So this is how Colm Keaveney pays for his FF advisor? Unvouched expenses?
And Fine Gael Too…..
of course the system is worng ,
you should get your Salary and thats it , simple
the country cannot afford any extras ,
we constantly here about deficit deficit sh1te , yet these turds look like they can claim and earn anything they like
what was it the Sligo county manager got upon retirement ,
oh lump €270,000 + €68,000pension per year …………so much for the deficit , Eh.
the entire system is arranged by the cartel with greed and cover ups in mind ,so much for honesty.” Its a hold up “
Its crazy that people on massive salaries can get allowances of any description. Why should coffee, lunches, dinners, mobile phones, laptops and things the rest of us have to think before purchasing is given, without receipts, to these people? Independent or in political parties, either way its ludicrous.
these people will inflict cuts on all members of society but any efforts to reform their own pay and conditions are met with a stonewall
The very word ‘allowances’. It’s public service language for getting state money for no perceptible good reason. It’s only second to the word ‘entitlements’ that makes me see red. And as for the idea of an expense being unvouched….this just goes to once again show the dual system this country has, the private transparent hard working sector, and the licking a fried egg off your face in a subsidised canteen on your morning break public sector.
Any wonder the country is in the shit when we have clowns like these in power.there are people up and down the country who can’t put food on the table and these clowns are bitching about their allowances and expences being cut.they really have no grip on reality and it makes me sick
Agh the pigs at the trough are fighting over the slops, poor poor people God help them, how Will they ever are do.
Colm really does himself no justice after winning the moral high ground and losing the party whip by reverting to the standard of all politicians in Ireland and just worried about lining his own pockets… Very disappointed in his comments. There is no justification for an independent where by choice or by looking the whip to just assume that we the taxpayer owe them anything more than their already extortionate salary, perks and gold plated pensions (that they get the minute they are kicked out.. not when they reach retirement age as it should be)
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