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FIANNA FÁIL’S NIALL Collins spent more taxpayer money using an Oireachtas service to print Christmas calendars and cards than any other TD ahead of the festive season.
Figures released to The Journal under the Freedom of Information Act show that Collins, his party colleague Willie O’Dea, Sinn Féin’s John Brady and the Healy-Rae brothers all had Christmas material printed for them at a cost of hundreds of Euro late last year.
Overall, 51 different TDs and senators used the Oireachtas printer in the run-up to Christmas at a cost of €6,428.96, but the five TDs above were responsible for more than half the total cost between them.
Collins, the Minister of State for Skills and Further Education and a TD for Limerick County, was the only deputy whose Christmas material cost more than €1,000.
He ordered 36,000 A4-sized calendars in October 2021 at a cost of €1,194.31 to the taxpayer.
The next-highest spender was Independent TD for Kerry Michael Healy-Rae, who had 20,000 A4 calendars, 300 A3 calendars and 500 Christmas cards printed in early November at a cost of €813.77.
His brother Danny Healy-Rae, also an Independent for Kerry, had an additional 8,000 A4 calendars, 650 A3 calendars and 1,500 Christmas cards printed the same month at a cost of €451.67.
Sinn Féin’s John Brady, the party’s spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Defence, printed 20,000 A4 calendars in mid-November at a cost of €751.04.
And Fianna Fáil’s Willie O’Dea, who ordered a higher quantity of material than any other Oireachtas member, had 38,000 Christmas cards printed in late November at a cost of €646.04.
Only four other members printed material that cost more than €100: Fine Gael senator Maria Byrne (4,000 Christmas cards for €157.08); Fianna Fáil senator Robbie Gallagher (3,000 A4 calendars for €135.71); Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan (3,000 A4 calendars for €126.56) and Fine Gael TD Paul Kehoe (2,000 Christmas cards for €102.14).
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No.harm in asking I suppose
Unless the refusal causes offence.
Refer to your water bill.
someone had to get a water reference in…. how original!
iw is great it will put many a sitting td on the dole!
Technical error? you mean some tax man did his job properly and billed them for what they should be paying without the discount. I’d say he’s licking stamps now.
Better get some high paid consultants in to sort out this problem
oops indeed. …how about they ask the huge mnc s operating here to pay fair taxes instead of putting so much on the shoulders of workers?
Chancing their arm as usual id say katie some extra pocket money for the boys… probably running low after the champagne summer holliers
Aaaah Ireland… Sigh…
I have no strong opinions on this story.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……
I’m sorry for letting you down.
I enjoy fine wine, fine cheese and a fine troll. You Katie are none of the above.
I’m sorry conor. My heart just wasn’t in it this time.
Girl if you don’t come up with some new material soon, you’ll never get off that €50 a week scheme
Now that is a strong opinion.
Look and learn Katie.
Is anyone shocked ?? Revenue in this country is a joke. And it was not a system error, anyone that sold land in the 80′s got letter’s looking for up to 20k Irish even if the land went for 50p.
Revenue have done this for decades, throw out a few lines and a fish will always bite. Scam artist’s.
I’m willing to bet the red thumbs never had to actually deal with the Revenue.
have your say