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THE STANDARDS in Public Office Commission (SIPO) is to be asked to investigate the actions of Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry, following his failure to include his interests in certain lands in the UK in recent Dáil registers of members’ interests.
SIPO will be asked to investigate Lowry’s actions, and whether he has breached his obligations of the Ethics in Public Office Acts 1995 and 2001, by the Dáil’s committee on members’ interests, which met this morning.
That committee said it had received 380 complaints from the public about Lowry’s failure to declare his half-share in about 20 acres of land in Wigan.
Lowry claimed he had omitted the land from his recent declarations of members’ interests because it was “worthless”, but an investigation by the Irish Examiner led to its investigative correspondent Conor Ryan being told that an offer of €6.7 million for the site “would be cheap”.
The Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 requires Oireachtas members to disclose their land interests in the annual Register of Members’ Interests, and says any land worth over €13,000 (previously IR£10,000) must be included.
Lowry has since sought to amend his declarations so that the Wigan land, originally bought by Vineacre (a British-based company owned by Lowry and Thurles developer Liam Carroll) and Carroll individually in 2001. Lowry’s name replaced that of Vineacre in 2003.
Lowry told Tipp FM last month that the land was “worthless” and had not provided him with any rental income since its purchase, and it was unlikely to unless it was rezoned. He said the land has become overgrown and has not been tended to.
The chairman of the Dáil committee on members’ interests, independent TD Thomas Pringle, this afternoon said his committee believed SIPO was “better placed to conduct an investigation into these allegations”.
This was because the Ethics in Public Office legislation “provides for an Inquiry Officer to assist the Commission in its work” – with no such function or support available to the Dáil committee itself.
SIPO’s investigation into the matter, when finished, will be sent back to the Dáil committee for its final ruling, as the legislation allows only that committee to issue any punishment or sanction over breaches of the ethics laws.
The committee has the power to suspend members from the Dáil for up to 30 sitting days.
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All expenses should be vouched…..
100 TD’s would be enough with no expences
I think it’s illogical to say no expenses. A lot of them have genuine travel and accommodation costs. But this area like others has to be more strictly monitored – as events in Dail over last few days testify.
John we all have expenses and have to take that from our wages.my husband travels 30 odd miles to work five days a week and the same back (he is so lucky to still have a job i know) and during the snow had to stay in a relations house because he couldnt get home. he doesnt get any extra for these expenses and his wages are nowhere near what td s get.jesus if he was earning even half what td s get we would be on the pigs back
@ Mary . I hate to sound like I’m standing up for TDs but in fairness some expenses are required , eg a TD from West Cork or Donegal who stays 3/4 nights a week in Dublin. However TDs are certainly overpaid and if generous expenses are provided a pay reduction of 30 – 40% is reasonable.
well john let them pay for it out of their wages.i am sure a lot of them have family in dublin they could stay with.if not whats wrong with a b and b.whats good for the goose is good for the gander.i can understand where you are coming from thats why i gave you the green mark but just cant understand why they cant manage on their salaries and need expences.
Constitution should be changed to allow 100 TDs regardless of the population.
They should let voters decide how many less TDs they want by putting a ‘none of the above’ option on ballot papers. If there’s enough for a quota then one less seat for that constituency.
Too little too late!
COULD be 20. Probably be a lot less. They know when they’re on to a good thing !
It would be a bigger gesture to bring TD’s / minister’s salaries down to average industrial wage.
The constitution states that there must be a TD for every 20000-30000 of the population. Reducing the number of TDs will push close to the 30000 limit. We’d have to run a referendum to go to say 100 TDs.
Initial estimates were to reduce the Dáil by 20. I think they might have to settle for about 16. That’d bring us down to a nice round 150 TDs.
Has anyone else noticed the huge change in Phil Hogan since the govt came to office? Before the election he was breathing fire and was a seething cauldron of rage at times . Now he is timid and almost apologetic in his demeanour. I know this has happened with others, but to a much lesser extent I think.
have your say