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AS OF 10 March, 20 TDs and 13 Senators had not cleared their Dáil bar tab amounting to €4,010.
Figures released to Ciarán D’Arcy of The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act and published on the front page this morning, reveal that on the day the 31st Dáil was dissolved, there was an outstanding bar tab of €5,405 owed to the Oireachtas.
Over the course of a month, over €1,000 was paid off the outstanding bill.
The largest single outstanding bar bill as of 10 March 2016 is €802. A total of €310 of the total amount was money owed prior to the formation of the last government.
The Houses of the Oireachtas noted that it is not clear if this amount is in fact owed and may be still outstanding due to an accounting error in 2008 when moving to a new accounting system.
Late nights at the bar
There has been criticism in the past about politicians not settling up. TheJournal.ie reported that at the end of August 2014, a total of €11,715 was owed to the bar facilities in the Houses of the Oireachtas, a sharp fall from the €72,000 that was owed at the end of 2012 – the last available figures.
The Dáil bar has come under renewed scrutiny in recent times after a number of controversial late-night sittings.
In 2013, a bar bill of nearly €7,000 was run-up during a late-night sitting to pass the abortion legislation – an evening which became know as ‘lapgate’.
Last year, the busiest night of the year for the Dáil bar was the day the Water Services Bill was debated, when the bar made €7,461.19.
If you’re curious about what price politicians and their visitors are paying for booze and food in the Dáil bar, the updated prices have also been released.
Price list
A pint of Guinness in the Dáil bar will cost you €4.40, as will a pint of Smithwicks. Long necks like Budweiser and Miller will set you back €5.00, while a measure of gin, rum or vodka costs €4.50.
The cheapest bottle of red and white wine costs €20, while the Chateauneneuf-du-Pape Domaine Duclaux costs €50.
The soup of the day costs a mere €2.50, while a toasted BLT costs €6.50. A homemade 8oz beef burger with chips will set you back €8.00.
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My advice. Don’t bother looking till you have mortgage approval. It could take 2 years. The market changes so frequently you’ll only be disappointed. Secondly understand the different estate agents. Sherry Fitz over price their clients houses to get a bigger fee. The guide price you see is exactly that. Offer €100k below. Sure who knows. Also keep and eye on listings. If they’ve been up for a while, they are obviously struggling to sell. That’s to your advantage.
@Danny Sherrard: offer 100k below in a sellers market? Good luck with that.
@Danny Sherrard:
This is why it should be a set fee so the prices aren’t just ballooned so much.
@Danny Sherrard: what house is going for €100k under asking in this market? Can you provide one example?
@Elaine Phelan: or be dope and offer the asking price. People like you are the reason house prices are crazy. Start low is all I say. I got my house in 2020, €40k below asking price.
When you view a home online have a careful look at the garden and try and see what flowers are blooming, whether it’s spring summer or autumn etc This can give you some indication as to how long it’s been on the market or whether it’s been relisted. It can either be a red flag indicating problems with the neighbourhood, or simply too high an asking price, in which case you might get away with offering less than anticipated.
@Liz O’Neill: On the likes of Daft there is usually a listed date.
1. Location. Close to work/family/what you love.
2. Cost v lifestyle. Make a choice, if you want holidays & fun etc buy a house with a smaller mortgage. If you prioritise a large home over everything else – go as big as you can afford.
3. Time. Which is it? Happy paying back a 35+ yr loan & see it as rent anyway (and if anything happens that’s what insurance is for). OR do you want to pay off your fast.
4. Future. Planning a family? Buy a house with that extra room to allow those teens some time away from you/a play room when they are young.
5. Short-term/life term. Buy big & sell when kids are gone -downsize? Buy small & upgrade? Do what most do – make do? Have a plan.
6. cheap furniture for the short term to fill the house & upgrade/only buy the best of the best bit by bit?
Go abroad, do the hard graft and save for couple of years, come back and buy where you know. Not for everyone, but time does fly.
Use your passport, it’s very valuable.
have your say