“I’m working here.”
Ruairi Quinn arriving at government buildings earlier.
(Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland)
Tag Archives: Ruairi Quinn
Some of the 300 delegates (representing 250,000 students) at the Union of Students in Ireland annual congress in the Carlton Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe, Co Galway, which started today. President Higgins addresses the gathering on Wednesday.
Sez Ronan Costello, editor of Trinity College Dublin’s University Times:
USI president Gary Redmond (above) opened Congress by berating Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn for cancelling his scheduled address at the last minute.
“Minister, why won’t you come an explain yourself?” said Redmond as he asked why Quinn was happy to pose for the signing of a pledge not to raise the student contribution before the general election, but wasn’t prepared to defend the U-turn he made when he got into office.
Pics by Conor McCabe
When is a ministerial Merc not a ministerial Merc.
When it’s an office.
The claim form from the Department of Education specifies that all mileage must be carried out as part of official Ministerial duties.
Asked whether this type of claim was acceptable, particularly in light of Labour’s previously hard-line policy on expenses claimed by Ivor Callely and John O’Donoghue amongst others, one of Mr Quinn’s special advisers said he was working in the car during these journeys.
His spokeswoman said: ”All of Minister Quinn’s claims for expenses and mileage are strictly in accordance with the arrangements outlined by the government.The Minister is often required to interrupt his holidays to attend official functions and undertake government business. In order to carry out his considerable workload at the Department of Education and Skills, the Minister carries confidential official papers in the car and works while on route to his destinations. This is considered to be official travel.“
Do try this with your boss today.
Go on.
Ruairi Quinn And His Galway Holiday Home Mileage Claims (ken Foxe, The Story.ie)
Previously: Call Us Old-Fashioned
Also: Small Business Minister Claimed €31,867 In Mileage Last Year
Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn and Dylan Fitsimons at St Benedict’s NS in Ongar, Dublin, literally a little earlier, for the announcement of a €1.5 billion schools building project.
(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)
But this expenses scandal has more mileage.
The dude’s a minister.
The Ruairi Quinn Mileage Claims – Part Two (Ken Foxe, The Story)
Previously: Oh Dear
(Photocall Ireland)
Oh Dear
at
Ruairi Quinn’s Mystery €1,400 mileage Claim: Minister says He Drove 5,100kms but his diary shows only 1,000km (Ken Foxe, Mail On Sunday)
Meanwhile, over on NAMA Wine Lake is the first part of an examination of TDs pay and benefits by
…examining the salaries, allowances, benefits, perks and entitlements paid to our politicians in our bankrupt country. Part One details most of the financial rewards on offer and is largely derived from Oireachtas in house publications
On top of the basic salary of €92,672 a TD can claim a range of expenses such as
When any members attend certain so-called “parliamentary assemblies” eg the OSCE, they can claim hotel expenses, a subsistence allowance plus up to 80% of the allowance for “casual entertaining”
A Parliamentary Assistant
Up to €41,092 per TD for secretarial assistance, PR, IT and training
Free parking in central Dublin
Gym
Subsidised restaurant
Private Members bar at Leinster House with subsidised drinks
Free tax advice service
Free language lessons
Postage – 1,500 free postage items per month for TDs and 1,000 for senators
Free unlimited fixed line telephone calls
Max of €750 every 18 months to buy a new mobile phone
All of them are, of course, worth every penny and more. You couldn’t possibly expect them to run the country and be kept awake at night with money woes.
Apparently all our expenses claims get eaten by Chompsky.
Thanks DD
Previously
(Photocall Ireland)