INDEPENDENTS IN Leinster House have defended their receipt of an untaxed “leader’s allowance” following calls by Fianna Fáil for the payment to be reformed.
The allowance is unvouched and paid on top of their salary and travel expenses, and TDs and Senators do not have to account for what they do with the money.
A group of 10 Independent TDs yesterday repeated their support for Government plans to require them to vouch for how their €41,000 annual leader’s allowance is spent. The group called on Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin to go further by seizing the opportunity to reform the entire model of political funding.
The four main parties receive €10.7 million between them, the group said, or as much as €120,000 a year per TD in the case of Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil. The funding is provided by the exchequer to assist with administrative, communications, research and legislative work. However, this money goes to the parties, whereas the leader’s allowance paid to Independent TDs and Senators goes directly to the politicians. Senators, who receive an allowance of €23,000 a year, do not have constituencies to look after.
Independent Senator Fiach Mac Conghail said there was nothing secret about the allowance. “I use my party leader allowance to support arts projects and charities, as I do with my Seanad salary. Receipts kept. No personal gain.”
Another Independent Senator, Martin McAleese, said there should be “no such thing” as unvouched expenses for any member of the Oireachtas.
“All my expenses will be vouched, whether required to be so or not, and any unused allowance will be returned.”
