Below is a copy of the letter issued on March 12th, 2008 to then TD Jackie Healy Rae by an Oireachtas official about calls made from within Leinster House to support his son Micheal Healy-Rae.
Deputy Jackie Healy Rae
Leinster House
Dear Deputy Healy Rae
I have been requested by the secretary general of the office of Houses of the Oireachtas to write to you to bring your attention to the following matter:
The telephone costs records of the Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas show that a total sum of €2639.24 (including VAT) was incurred in costs in respect of over 3,600 telephone calls from Leinster House to a premium rate number over a three-day period on 22nd to 25th October last year, (the number was 1513 717107) which is understood to have been the number on which votes were registered for Mr Michael Healy Rae during the Celebrities Go Wild television show last October (2007).
While there are no detailed records of any calls made from particular extensions assigned to either Members or their staff in Leinster House, I can confirm that none of the calls were made from handsets assigned to staff of the Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas (since there are such records for the phones of staff of the Office).
I should also point out that that analysis of the calls received from Leinster House (from information provided by Eircom) shows that they were all of less than 5 seconds duration – over a thousand lasted only 1 second - and that they were generally made in groups at roughly 5 second intervals in regular periods during the above days last October.
The purpose of this letter is to make you aware of these circumstances and to invite your comments. The costs concerned have been discharged from Houses of the Oireachtas Commission funds since we are contractually obliged to pay Eircom for any calls made from the Leinster House number.
Yours sincerely,