Tag Archives: TDs

90299662The Fine Gael Parliamentary meeting in Leinster House from Kildare Street last night.

Lucinda Creighton FG
Brian Walsh FG
Damien English FG
Peter Mathews FG
Terence Flanagan FG
Billy Timmins FG
Paul Bradford FG Senator
John O’Mahony FG
Michelle Mulherin FG (above)
John Paul Phelan FG
Michael Creed FG
Patrick O’Donovan FG
Tom Hayes FG
Jim Daly FG
Sean Conlan FG
Fidelma Healy Eames FG Senator
Catherine Noone FG Senator
James Bannon FG
Paschal Mooney FF
Brian O’Domhnaill FF
Jim Walsh FF
Mattie McGrath Ind
Ronan Mullen Ind Senator

(TDs unless othwerwise stated)

Sido writes:

With regard to the “emotional debate” within FG I’m compiling a list of politicians who oppose the Abortion Legislation. I wonder if anyone can think of any additions?

 

Earlier It’s All Gone A Bit Emily Brontë

(Laura Hutton/Photocall ireland)

Political pensions and lump sums for former TDs, Ministers and Senators have cost nearly €2 million every single month over the past year and a half.

An estimated €32.7 million has been spent by the Oireachtas and Department of Finance since January 2011 on pensions for former politicians. The cost includes more than €9.5 million paid in lump sums (some above) to the record number of public representatives who retired after the last election.

Crikey.

In fairness Michael Squee, Ciaran Cuffe, Gay Mitchell, Eithne Fitzgerald, Proinsias de Rossa and Maurice Manning “gifted their pension entitlements back” to the state.

Political Pensions: The Cost( Story.ie)

Thanks Ken Foxe

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)

THE OIREACHTAS spent more than €9,600 of taxpayers’ money on more than 200,000 customised Christmas cards that were distributed by TDs and Senators ahead of the recent festive season.

One of the perks Oireachtas members enjoy is the ability to avail of an “in-house” printing service allowing them to produce individualised cards they can send to constituents and others.

With well over half of TDs and Senators using the service, it appears that, in the age of Twitter and text messaging, old-fashioned Christmas cards remain attractive to politicians – despite the controversies they have given rise to in the past. An Oireachtas spokeswoman confirmed that 132 of the full 226 members of both houses had cards printed in-house, with a total of 217,020 cards produced at the end of last year.

Oireachtas Christmas cards cost taxpayers almost €10,000 (Irish Times)

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