Madam, – May I suggest that the future method of claiming expenses would mirror an experience of my own (and one adopted by many larger companies).
The rules were set out covering what could and could not be reclaimed and what were reasonable levels. We claimed for our expenses which would be automatically paid without further verification at that time.
However, the expenses were subject to audit twice each year with no prescription on which month’s expenses or when (ie, it was a “surprise” audit). Any discrepancies were highlighted to the head of finance. Three strikes and you were out of your job.
This self-regulation worked because it had a significant downside. Ironically the system was put in place not because of concerns over what people were claiming but because of the cost of checking every single claim.
The Government has an additional control in that most TDs qualify for pensions even if they lose their seats so any reclamation required should they leave could be taken from their pensions. By linking expense payments to their jobs I suspect you’d get a very high level of compliance and conscientiousness. And it would not cause trouble for all of those who play by the rules already. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – May I thank Eoin Dorgan, press officer for the Department of Finance, for assuring us taxpayers (October 13th) that the Minister has not used any of our money to write off the loans of any former Anglo Irish Bank directors, and assuring us that several months after the nationalisation of the bank the directors “continue to owe the full amount of their loans to the bank.”
Can we look forward to further statements from the press office telling us when the Minister might be chasing up some repayments on our behalf? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The owners of the various car ferries that operate between Ireland and Britain will be disappointed to learn that, despite having spent huge sums on advertising, there are still people who don’t realise that one of the great benefits of travelling on a car ferry is that you can take your own car with you. This of course cuts out the need to hire an expensive car should you need to travel to Hay-on-Wye or Cheltenham or any other exotic location.
Politicians in both our countries truly do live in a different world. – Yours, etc,