JUST 63 of the 166 TDs rely on their Dail salaries as their sole source of income, while 74 deputies receive more than the basic £33,354 as they are office holders or former office holders.
According to the Register of Interests of Dail members, it appears that at least 29 of the remainder receive income from elsewhere, such as farming or other jobs.
In addition, all TDs receive substantial tax free expenses, ranging from a minimum £7,738 to more than £16,300 per annum. For a deputy on the minimum expenses therefore, his or her take home pay is equivalent to a salary of almost £50,000. For a rural deputy, that figure is substantially higher.
Many of the rural deputies who receive the highest expenses spend much of it on travel to and from Dublin and within their constituencies, as well as on overnight hotel bills in Dublin. Those who stay with friends or relations when in Dublin, however, make a significant profit.
Many deputies say they spend several thousand pounds a year responding to requests for donations to local charities, sports clubs and other bodies. While this expenditure is not an official part of a TD's work, it is a fact of life for most politicians who want to be re-elected.
The present expenses regime for Oireachtas members dates back to 1992. Up to then, TDs had a special tax arrangement which netted them £4,300 a year more than PAYE workers earning the same salary. Following much media and public criticism, this tax arrangement was abolished.
But instead, an expenses deal was put in place, ensuring that deputies still receive that £4,300, with some now getting considerably more. The deal includes payments for mileage within the TD's constituency, home phone bills and a flat payment of £2,100 for miscellaneous expenses. All are unreceipted and all tax free.
Phone bills from home or a constituency office are paid up to £2,000. For deputies outside Dublin, there is mileage to and from Dublin at 49p a mile for a 1138 cc car and more for a higher powered car.
For deputies 20 miles or more away from Dublin, there is a £58.48 overnight allowance for nights spent in Dublin while attending the Dail or Oireachtas committee meetings. The allowance is usually only payable for days when there are late sittings normally two out of three sitting days. So the annual take from this allowance is at least £4,795 for rural deputies.
Then there is the attendance allowance, by which deputies are paid £26.40 for each sitting day at Leinster House. Taking 130 days as a conservative number of sitting days, the annual take from this is £3,438. A Dublin deputy with no overnight or mileage will therefore receive £7,738 in tax free expenses. A deputy from a large constituency more than 20 miles from Dublin will get at least £16,333.
Deputies receive an initial payment of £5,000 towards establishing a constituency office, and £2,650 a year for office expenses.