TDs defend summer expenses claims

CLARE TDs have presented a united front in defending expenses claimed during the summer recess, after a report this week named three Banner deputies in the top 20 for expenses.
Official details published on the Oireachtas website showed that between the beginning of June and the end of August, the county’s four TDs were paid a total of more than €50,000 in expenses.
According to Fianna Fáil Deputy Timmy Dooley, it is “misrepresentation” to simply say theses expenses were for a three-month period during which the Dáil was in recess for seven weeks.
“We are provided with a set amount of money for the entire year to cover our overall expenses. We have to provide receipts and these are subject to audit. They pay us the amount in 12 equal instalments, so it doesn’t matter what month you incur the expense, it is spread out over the year. If I incurred €8,000 in expenses in January, I will only get the monthly allowance and have to carry the rest over to the next month,” Deputy Dooley stated.
“There are things you can’t claim for. My expenses are greater than what I can claim for. If you take running an office and telephones and travelling to Dublin for three or four days a week and hotel accommodation when you are there, it is a substantial cost. The only way savings can be made is either by spending less time in Dublin in the Dáil or we get rid of the principle of a constituency office. If I could work from home and didn’t have to be in the Dáil for three to four days a week, my costs would come down and if I didn’t have to run a constituency office, then my costs would come down,” he continued.
“At the moment, I am not able to claim the full amount of expenses associated with doing my job but I am getting on with it. It is transparent and vouched and there is a limit set,” Deputy Dooley stated.
Following the reform of the expenses system earlier this year, TDs could opt to claim vouched or unvouched expenses and each of the Clare TDs chose the vouched system, which means they must provide receipts for their expenses which can be audited by the Oireachtas.
The most recent CSO figures show that there are now nearly 450,000 people on the Live Register. Given that the maximum dole payment for one person adds up to just over €10,000 per year, Fine Gael Deputy Joe Carey believes it is misleading for expenses during the summer months to be highlighted over other times of year.
“Your office is still open during the summer and you incur considerable travel expense. I have been in the Dáil at committee meetings and other meetings during the recess. I still have to run my office during the summer. I still have bills in the office, considerable bills and other costs such as anyone else running an office would have,” he stated.
“There is an obligation on people who report on these matters to present the proper picture. You are talking about huge sums of money and unfortunately they are presented with dramatic headlines. I know people are very aggrieved when they read about it, particularly in this economic climate. In order to run a political operation, you do incur costs and considerable costs and these are recognised through expenses,” Deputy Carey continued.
Fianna Fáil TD and Minister for Defence Tony Killeen is allowed expenses up to €20,000 per year but these do not cover travel because he is provided with a ministerial car and driver. They also don’t cover hotel accommodation while in Dublin. A spokesperson stated the expenses received by the minister are spent on renting, running and maintaining his office.
Deputy Pat Breen described the report as “misleading and mischievous”.
“You can get €15,000 for expenses without vouching, I have chosen to go for a vouched system. The expenses system has been reformed. I go for a vouched system where I have to keep any receipts for expenses I incur throughout the year in relation to running the office. I have to keep those and show them at the end of the year. There is nothing sinister in it. The article gave the impression that this money is just handed out to us; the expenses are put up on the Oireachtas website each month and we have to keep receipts and we have to keep records of all expenses, so we only get back what we spend,” he stated.
The Oireachtas figures show that the county’s two Fine Gael deputies, Joe Carey and Pat Breen, were paid just over €5,045 per month, Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley was paid €4,982 and Minister for Defence Tony Killeen was paid the ministerial rate of €1,666 per month in expenses, as part of the Parliamentary Standard Allowance, which includes travel and accommodation allowance, along with public representation allowance.
“You are allowed to claim up to a certain amount per year, part of this is based on your distance from the Dáil. This is the reason for the difference between my allowance and that of Deputies Breen and Carey, I am in a different band because I am slightly closer to Dublin,” said Deputy Dooley.

THE BREAKDOWN

June               July             August         Total
Pat Breen            5,045.84        5,045.84       5,045.84      15,137.52
Joe Carey            5,045.84        5,045.84       5,045.84      15,137.52
Timmy Dooley     4,982.84         4,982.84       4,982.84      14,948.52
Tony Killeen        1,666.67         1,666.67       1,666.67       5,000.01