Charlie got a few in his time. Ray tucked his away on the livingroom sideboard. Pee's was passed across the desk, while Denis picked his up in a hotel foyer. The envelope, brown or otherwise, has attained great notoriety in Irish political life in recent times. Yet despite this, it would seem the envelope culture is alive and well in political circles.
Some 400,000 pre-paid envelopes will be available this year to the 166 members of Dail Eireann and their 60 parliamentary colleagues in the Seanad. Every Oireachtas member is entitled from January 1st last to a monthly allowance of 1,750 pre-paid envelopes, an increase of 500 on the previous monthly allocation.
The increased allocation means every TD and senator can use up to 21,000 pre-paid envelopes this year for their constituency and political business. Most Oireachtas members would use their envelope allowance to follow up constituent queries. Should the total allocation be taken up then some 395,500 prepaid envelopes would be available to all Oireachtas members. That would have the 166 TDs licking down the flaps on 290,500 envelopes, while the 60 members of Seanad Eireann would be tasting the gum on 105,000.
Given that An Post currently charges u£0. 32p for a single pre-paid envelope, the annual cost of the allowance to Oireachtas members would total u£126,560. However, An Post would be likely to offer a bulk discount given the number involved.
The increase comes courtesy of the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, who has amended a number of regulations relating to the pay and expenses of TDs and senators.
While members of the Oireachtas claimed almost u £8 million in expenses from April 1998 to October 20th, 1999, the new regulations do not improve the level of available expenses and allowances.
However, the changes, which are backdated to January 1st, 2000, extend the maximum time limits for the submission of written claims for overnight and travel-expense allowances from 100 days to 365 from when the allowance first becomes payable.
All Oireachtas members have also received a 2 per cent increase in their annual salaries under Partnership 2000, bringing a TD's salary to u £38,796, with the annual salary received by senators rising to £24,549. The extra payment, backdated to July 1st, 1999, is unlikely to come in an envelope.