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THE COURTS SERVICE today released a breakdown of every judge’s costs and expenses, for the first time ever.
The figures relate to 2012, and show that the country’s 146 judges claimed a total of €1.67 million that year – an average of €11,469.
Some of the claims were accumulated from previous years.
The judge with the highest total was District Court Justice Gerard Furlong, who claimed €45,222.43 – including €15,229 in travel costs, and €29,993 on subsistence.
District Court judge Patrick Brady cost the taxpayer the least in 2012 – just €258 – although he had retired in October 2011.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Denham claimed €629, including €347 on subsistence costs, and €282 on travel expenses.
http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2014/10/judicial-expenses-for-2012.pdf
The five Supreme Court Justices cost the state €9,917 in total, and €1,983 on average.
High Court judges spent €86,268 on subsistence, and just €6,707 on travel, contributing to a total of €107,606. Between the 36 of them, this is an average of €2,989.
The Circuit Court’s 38 judges claimed an average of €14,407 and €547,450 in total.
Predictably, the District Court’s 64 judges spent €426,216 on travel – the most of any level in the judiciary.
They also claimed €15,773 on average – the highest in the judiciary – and €1,009,492 in total.
Below is the Courts Service’s detailed breakdown of each judge’s expenses for 2012.
The figures for 2013 are expected to be published next week.
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Justice Furlong claimed almost 30,000 in subsistence. If that judge took 6 weeks holidays and worked 5 days a week that equates to 130 Euro per day. WTF is he spending this on. Who signs off these expenses?
God help the tax payer
Not all the facts are here… I doubt very much he personally ate 30k with of food. Anyway, it’s easy to criticize without actually knowing what goes on behind the scenes. I’m sure it’s justified, no pun intended…
The Oxford dictionary defines subsistence as : The action or fact of maintaining or supporting oneself, especially at a minimal level: the minimum income needed for subsistence. Judges above all else should understand the meaning of the word when they are expensing for it
Subsistence in the civil service, as far as I’m aware is to cover a 24hour period away from where you normally work and includes food and accommodation. Even the lowliest in the public sectors would get €100+ per night. This isn’t an astronomical figure when you take into account a hotel room plus breakfast, then buy lunch and dinner. Can’t see much profit being made unless you are willing to sleep in a tent!!
Furlong travels more than any other judge. He fills in for other judges who are unavailable for some reason.
Yes he may travel but he’s claiming €15k travel expenses as well as €30k subsistence – it’s not that big a country
Yes he may travel but he’s claiming €15k travel expenses as well as €30k subsistence – it’s not that big a country
There should be a cap on all these expenses . people are struggling every single day to make ends meet and then you read all this crap . heartbreaking so it is !
No one should make any money, we should all throw our wages in and regardless of what you do be paid the same. How did that work out again?
It cost over 15,000 for a judge to go to work and twice that to keep it there, at our expense. No wonder it costs a fortune to imprison somebody. Do they get bonuses and health care too?
I can hear a train coming but I can’t quite put a name on it…..can anybody help me with this?
How about “The really rich gravy train” ?
Gravy Train on the Golden Circle Line !!
The bisto train maybe
Is it the 4.17 from Limerick junction to Ennis?
Pelham 123
By any chance are these expenses being paid based on receipts because I’m dying to know what cost €30k for one judge ?
And why do the judges get higher level of travel and subsistence than civil service. That makes no sense whatsoever. It’s a never ending ream of BS. Everyday something new.
Justice Furlong claimed 30,000 in subsistence. If he worked 46 weeks a year, 5 days a week that equates to 130 Euro per day on his lunch.
And hotel. And dinner. Maybe fuel too?
I assume you are unaware of how the court system works. The district court judges often sit in different towns in a district and some judges travel to different districts across the country covering sick leave and other vacancies. This would explain the travel costs and subsistence. The Supreme Court never sit outside Dublin, hence their having the least expenses. Only the most dreadful job wouldn’t recompense their workers for travel or accommodation expenses incurred as part of their job.
The trokia begged the government to clean and sort out our health and legal sectors and it was largely ignored due to self interested, a huge money saver in another budget ignored to protect old fashioned protected sectors of society
Why should any one get expenses don’t they get a big fat salary I would love to know who makes these rules
That is absolutely disgraceful. Surely they get paid enough to pay for their own travel expenses or any expense for that matter. This country is getting worse by the day!!!!
David and Maureen, should we expect ye or any other worker in the country to relocate to another work location multiple times for nothing, should ye be expected to travel the length and breadth of the country on your own time and pay for your own accommodation? Should we expect you to make up for the short sightedness and inability to plan ahead correctly by your employer by being flexible and helping them out for nothing? Do ye expect workers to be away from their families and keep unsociable hours for nothing? What’s next for workers with contracts, terms and conditions, zero hour contracts? I’m far from being a judge but you two are worse than turkeys voting for Christmas!!
That is a ridiculous comment you have made. It’s an opinion and my opinion and like everyone else on here I am entitled to it. If you are far from a judge, I wonder how you are coming up with all of these statistics? The money for travel expenses is ridiculous to say the least.
Of course you are entitled to your opinion but without any facts/experience then it’s just that, an opinion. I’m questioning your comment because you made it without having either. Travel, accommodation and meal expenses are part and parcel to a lot of job, from a lorry driver that spends the night away from home to as we see here, a judge that has been asked to attend an alternative court to his/her own. As I mentioned before, these are terms and conditions associated with the job. If your employer asks you to work elsewhere temporarily then the norm is to cover your costs that associated with this. I’m struggling to see how you find this unfair to either the employer or the employee?
These stories are always so one sided. How about The Journal publishes a story which sets out the reasons judges travel, where they travel to, the unsociable hours they may have to work etc?
Also, the figures published relate to previous years all rolled up into 2012….so these are not good numbers to be basing our outrage on unless there is more context given.
The unsociable hours they work are well compensated by their salaries
I’m sure you’d be willing to do all this travelling and paying hotel bills yourself Julia under similar work conditions? Bound to be someone that earns less than you saying the exact same thing about you….sure Julia’s wage will cover all those added expenses. Penny dropped at all Julia?
Why do even need judges.
Sure the Gardai should just let them off with a slap on the wrist and save the money.
This country is a joke the jury get zero expenses not even there travel fare, while the judges cream the system
Their over paid to begin with and as greedy and dishonest as the politicians who appointed them. Leeching expenses of that amount off the tax payer is equivalent to a dole scam but that’s ok they are judges. We give them lotto type salaries and they still can’t pay their own way. Maybe their confused and think they are politicians?
Cavier eating fat cats, just as bad as the cash cows they give a pathetic slap on the wrist to, no justice system, just a fat cat system, bring in capital punishment, start with one theft, one finger.
I need a defibrillator.
How can somebody claim €29000 in subsistence? Its impossible? Must be special rates for judges. See the rates for subsistence allowed by Revenue here.. http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/it54.html.
Well we can’t call these Judges with no balls.
Most of us have no choice but to survive on half of what these guys get in expenses alone in a single year.
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