THE PROGRESSIVE Democrats have rejected claims by Fine Gael’s Charles Flanagan that they have taken a “cynical” and “scandalous” approach to State funding by delaying their demise as an organisation so as extract maximum financial benefit.
“Members of the Progressive Democrats Party voted to dissolve the party on November 8th, 2008. Four months later the party is continuing to accept large amounts of money from the taxpayer,” Mr Flanagan said.
“It seems that the PD plan is to hang on until the party can receive the full payment for the first quarter of 2009. This cynical approach shows a scandalous disregard for the Irish taxpayer.”
A PD spokesman said the party would return any surplus State funds it received: “It is imperative that the party provides final, detailed, audited accounts to the Standards in Public Office Commission, a process that will be completed in the near future.
“It is expected that before the end of this month the party will apply to the Clerk of the Dáil to have the Progressive Democrats’ name removed from the Register of Political Parties.”
The clerk “will have to publish that request and leave a three-week gap before finally removing the name, the action that will symbolise the final end of the party”, said the spokesman.
Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan told Mr Flanagan in a reply to a parliamentary question on February 18th last that the PDs had received a party leader’s allowance of €185,080.70 in 2008.
Supplementary correspondence from the Minister dated March 5th states that payments under the Electoral Act for 2008/2009 were as follows: January 2008: €66,172; April 2008: €66,459; July 2008: €67,033; October 2008: €67,327; January 2009: €67,915.
Pointing out that PD leader Ciaran Cannon previously announced the party’s intention to dissolve by February 28th, Mr Flanagan said: “The date seems to be linked to the party’s lease on its headquarters in Dublin which expires at the end of February! Obviously, the taxpayer is expected to stay paying the rent while rent is outstanding.”
Mr Flanagan also questioned Mary Harney’s mandate when the PDs are dissolved.
