OVER A third of Dáil deputies have interests in houses, apartments or commercial properties that are being rented or leased, according to the Register of Interests for 2009, which was published yesterday.
Some 56 of the 155 TDs declared ownership or part-ownership of properties, other than their principal private residences, in Ireland and abroad. A further 2O declared interest in agricultural land but it was not clear in all cases if the land was being leased or being farmed by the TDs or their families.
A number of Government Ministers own properties for letting. They include Taoiseach Brian Cowen who has three apartments, two in Dublin and one in Leeds, all of which are being let.
A number of TDs have declared substantial interests in property and others have also disclosed large portfolio of share investments.
The Galway West deputy Frank Fahey (Fianna Fáil) has declared an interest or part-interest in 18 properties in Galway, Athlone, Limerick, Dubai, Boston, Brussels, France and Portugal.
The Roscommon-South Leitrim TD Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) also has a large property portfolio. Most are in Sligo or in Boyle, but he has also declared apartments and houses in Hungary, France and Bulgaria.
Mr Feighan has shares in mining companies and in a number of Irish companies including Ryanair, AIB, Kerry Group and Greencore.
Jim O’Keeffe, a Fine Gael TD for Cork South West, has shares, a number of directorships and has interests in eight properties, mostly in west Cork.
His Fine Gael colleague, John Perry, declares interests in 10 properties, as does the Dublin North TD James Reilly. He has interests in the commercial buildings, Lusk Town Centre, as well as in a nursing home.
Another Fine Gael TD, Alan Shatter, jointly owns 14 properties in Dublin, London and in Florida.
The TD with the biggest portfolio of shares is Seán Haughey (Fianna Fáil, Dublin North Central).
He declares ownership of shares in 44 companies, including the major multinationals Nestle, Unilever, Statoil and Merck pharmaceuticals. He also owns property in Portmarnock and Kinsealy.
Deputies have invested in most major Irish companies, including banks. Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton owns shares in all the major banks AIB, Bank of Ireland, Irish Life and Permanent and the (nationalised) Anglo Irish Bank.
The Dublin North East TD Terence Flanagan (FG) also declares bank shares. “Shares, not sure of value, Bank of Ireland.”
Other owners of share portfolios include Seán Ardagh (FF, Dublin South Central); Seán Barrett (FG, Dún Laoghaire); Deirdre Clune (FG, Cork South Central), in her family’s Barry’s Tea business; Ceann Comhairle Séamus Kirk; Willie O’Dea (FF, Limerick East), mainly in mining; Ned O’Keeffe (FF, Cork East), who has shares in 35 companies.
In all, 38 TDs declare ‘Nil’ interest in all nine categories, including non Dáil income, shares, directorships, land, gifts, property, travel, remunerated position and contracts. They include the Tánaiste Mary Coughlan and the leader of the Green Party John Gormley.
In his declaration, the Taoiseach discloses that he made a “€1,000 charity bet at Paddy Power plc”. He then elaborates on the disclosure: “At official visit to their HQ a charity bet of €1,000 was made by the company in my name. All proceeds of this worthy bet (including the stake) were donated to the Irish Hospice Foundation.” A number of TDs who are former teachers declare income in the form of pensions or pension contributions.
However, the Independent TD for Wicklow Joe Behan states that he has asked his pension to be discounted “for the time I have been or will be a member of Oireachtas”.
The Minister for Health Mary Harney declares hotel accommodation expenses for four nights in Italy while speaking at a conference on cancer. “Don’t know value, believe it was under €650,” she states.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has stated he receives an allowance from the Fine Gael party as party leader. He also holds honorary membership of golf clubs at K Club, Ballinrobe, Mount Juliet.
Some TDs retain directorships of their own companies including Seán Barrett (who had a large insurance brokerage) and the Cork North Central TD Noel O’Flynn (who established a motor factors business).
The Green Party TD Ciaran Cuffe has two investments but both are in “green effect” or stewardship funds. He moved his investments to ethical funds several years ago following criticism from Fine Gael that some of his investments were not with environmentally friendly companies.