Councillor says double-expenses claim made in error

A DONEGAL county councillor has appeared before the Standards in Public Office Commission in relation to expense claims made by him in 2008.

Fine Gael’s Terence Slowey admitted at a hearing yesterday in Dublin he had filed a double claim during the period but said he had done so “in error” and had paid a “huge price politically” for it.

Mr Slowey was alleged to have made four contraventions of the Local Government Act, 2001. The case related to claims made by him for attending two conferences in Co Kerry and Co Cork between October 16th and October 18th, 2008.

Diarmuid McGuinness SC, for the commission, said Mr Slowey had attended a three-day conference on local authority finance in Killarney on the dates in question.

However, he said Mr Slowey also attended a half-day Border Regional Authority conference at the Inchydoney Island Lodge Spa hotel outside Clonakilty, Co Cork, on October 17th.

Mr McGuinness said Mr Slowey claimed for travel expenses to and from Co Donegal for both conferences and had failed to attend the Co Kerry conference in full.

Mr Slowey gained over €2,400 in travel, subsistence and expenses from Donegal County Council and the Border Regional Authority for attending both conferences.

Richard Lyons SC, representing Mr Slowey, said the councillor had accepted the four contraventions and paid back the expenses in full.

Mr Slowey said it was "ironic" the Co Kerry conference was entitled Local Authority Finances – A Crisis Brewing?as "it certainly ended up a crisis" for him.

While he acknowledged separate claims were submitted, he said he did not have any recollection of filling out the forms. He said the day he submitted the claims was “very busy and full of meetings”. He said he did not consciously break the rules but did so “in error”.

He said he had missed out on being selected to run for Fine Gael in the recent elections with the hearing hanging over him. Commission chairman Justice MP Smyth said the board would report its findings in three to four weeks.