Ireland

Micheál Martin, Michael McGrath got €1,000 each from Fianna Fáil

Standards in Public Office Commission publishes donations declared by TDs, Senators, MEPs

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin (left) and Labour’s Alan Kelly were among TDs who reported receiving donations to the Standards in Public Office Commission last year. File photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons/The Irish Times

Fiach Kelly Deputy Political Editor
Wed Apr 11 2018 - 20:02

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Michael McGrath, his finance spokesman, received €1,000 each from their party last year, official records show.

The Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) has published the list of declared donations from TDs, Senators and MEPs. All donations above €600 must be declared to Sipo, and a maximum annual donation of €1,000 to TDs, senators and MEPs is allowed. Parties can receive a maximum of €1,500.

Six TDs and one Senator declared a total of €6,360 in donations last year. Mr Martin is listed as having received €1,000 from Fianna Fáil headquarters on Lower Mount Street in Dublin.

The €1,000 to Mr McGrath, Mr Martin's constituency colleague, comes from the Fianna Fáil organisation in Cork South-Central. However, Fianna Fáil says both donations came from the Cork South-Central organisation and that TDs occasionally receive donations from the party itself.

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“In 2017, support was provided to the offices of TDs in Cork South-Central by the local organisation, Fianna Fáil Cork South-Central CDC and as appropriate, was reflected in their donation statement,” a party spokeswoman said.

Elsewhere, Fianna Fáil TDs James Lawless and Darragh O'Brien received €805 and €800 from constituents in Kildare North and Dublin Fingal. Dublin Bay South Fine Gael TD Kate O'Connell received €760, also from a constituent.

Tipperary Labour TD Alan Kelly declared €995 from a Michael Madden with an address in New York. Separately, Mr Madden also gave a donation of €1,490 the Tipperary Labour Party.

Sinn Féin's Senator Pádraig MacLochlainn received the maximum €1,000 allowable from Donegal Office Services. The Social Democrats received €1,500 in donations from Kodzo Selormey in Cork City.

Sipo said that 215 Oireachtas members had fully complied with the statutory requirements by the January deadline, while 14 made late returns. All 229 members had "substantively complied" by February, but some minor queries were still outstanding, it said.

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