13 new Seanad members to share fund of €435,000

THIRTEEN OF the recently elected members of the new Seanad are to share a windfall of almost €435,000.

The Senators concerned are entitled to local authority gratuity payments after they resigned their seats on councils to take up their Seanad seats.

Two of the Senators, Michael Mullins and Terry Brennan, both Fine Gael, are entitled to each receive €47,710 having served on local authorities between 1985 and 2011.

In all, the 13 Senators are to share €434,174. However, those under 50 cannot claim the gratuity, which is taxable, until they reach that age.

Newly elected members of the Dáil who resigned from councils to take their Dáil seats are also entitled to a gratuity, which is paid out by a local authority.

Eight of the qualifying Senators represent Fine Gael, four are from Labour and one is Sinn Féin. No Fianna Fáil Senator qualifies.

On becoming Senators, the former councillors are now in receipt of an annual salary of €65,621 per annum plus expenses.

Mr Brennan, a former Louth county councillor, said yesterday: “I don’t know what I’m entitled to. I haven’t even applied . When I went for election in the 1980s, the remuneration was not a consideration.”

Mr Mullins said: “I haven’t inquired with Galway County Council over the payment. I haven’t pursued it. If there is something there, I am happy to leave it there until I retire from politics.”

New Sinn Féin Senator David Cullinane is entitled to a gratuity of €23,100, having served on Waterford City Council between 2004-11. However, he criticised the gratuity payment system.

“The payments should be made when a person is of pensionable age – not when they are 50 or over and they are moving into a new job in the Seanad with a very generous salary and expenses,” he said.

A former member of Clare County Council, Fine Gael Senator Tony Mulcahy, is due to receive €37,104. “Councillors don’t get any pension, but pay a pension levy. I would much prefer a pension that we can take when we get to pension age. The ‘gratuity’ sounds good, but it is a statutory payment,” he said.

Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway will not receive his €23,100 gratuity for 13 years. “The country is effectively bankrupt at the moment and if my gratuity is there in 2024, I would be delighted, and if it’s not, it’s not.”

A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said “any changes to the current scheme would be framed in light of the ongoing review of the local government system”.

Senators entitled to local authority gratuity payments are: Michael Mullins (FG), Galway County Council, €47,710; Terry Brennan (FG), Louth County Council, €47,710; Cait Keane (FG), South Dublin County Council, €42,726; Denis Landy (Lab), South Tipperary Council, €42,726; Jimmy Harte (Lab), Donegal County Council, €40,584; Jim D’Arcy (FG), Louth County Council, €37,104; Tony Mulcahy (FG), Clare County Council, €37,104; Martin Conway (FG), Clare County Council, €23,100; Patrick O’Neill (FG), Kilkenny County Council, €23,100; Imelda Henry (FG), Sligo County Council, €23,100; John Gilroy (Lab), Cork County Council, €23,100; John Kelly (Lab), Roscommon County Council, €23,100; David Cullinane, (SF) Waterford City Council, €23,100.