Political parties allocated staff numbers five months after election

The numbers of Oireachtas-funded staff allocated to Fine Gael and Labour to work on matters such as research and policy are to fall sharply after their poor general election results. Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission have signed off on the staff allocations to the political parties and groups, which cost some €20 million each year.

Fine Gael will have 13.5 members of staff despite being the largest party in the Dáil, down from 26 in 2011. The party lost 26 seats in the election but its numbers are buffered elsewhere by additional resources linked to it having more Ministers and Ministers of State in Government than when it was in Coalition with Labour.

Fianna Fáil’s gain of 24 seats (up to 44) in the election means it will have an allocation of 27 staff (up from 23), while Sinn Féin will be assigned 15 staff, up from 14 after it gained nine seats in the Dáil and four in the Seanad.

Labour’s numbers will be reduced from 13 to 5.5 after winning seven seats in the election, down from 37 in 2011. Its numbers in the Seanad fell by seven also.

The parties have been unable to hire these staff since the general election due to a delay in the establishment of the commission, the sanctioning body for all expenditure in the Houses. It involves 11 TDs and Senators from across the Houses and is chaired by the Ceann Comhairle.

The Green Party will be allocated 1.5 staff, the Social Democrats will get two while the Anti-Austerity Alliance-People before Profit Alliance will get 3.5 members of staff.

The Independents4Change group, headed by Clare Daly and Mick Wallace, will be able to hire two people. The rural technical group, involving the Healy-Rae brothers and Michael Lowry, will be allocated one, as will the Independent group in the Seanad.