Each TD to cost taxpayers €268k to fund next year

THE average TD will cost taxpayers over a quarter of a million euro to fund next year.

Between salaries, secretarial assistance, travel expenses, and other allowances, the bill for the average TD in 2011 will come to an estimated €268,000.

It represents a slight reduction on the figure for this year, where the average cost per TD is coming to €271,000.

The average senator will cost €157,000 to fund next year. That is also a reduction on the 2010 figure, which is coming to €164,000.

The figures stem from the 2011 financial estimates for the Houses of the Oireachtas, which were voted through the Dáil last week.

A total budget of almost €113m has been approved for the Oireachtas for next year. It represents a reduction of circa €1m – or less than 1% – on the cost of running the Oireachtas this year, which is scheduled to come in at €114m.

There may be question marks as to why the overall saving is relatively small at a time when deep cuts have been made elsewhere in the public service.

However, next year’s bill could yet be reduced significantly if the Government decides to introduce another pay cut for TDs and senators in the budget.

Of the estimated bill as it currently stands, salaries, secretarial assistance, travel expenses, and other allowances for TDs are projected to cost €44.5m next year, a slight decrease from €45m this year.

Dáil and Seanad vacancies affect the final cost of each year’s bill for the Oireachtas.

But given that the Dáil ordinarily has 166 members, it suggests an average cost of €268,000 per TD next year versus €271,000 this year.

Salaries, secretarial assistance, travel expenses, and other allowances for senators are projected to cost €9.47m next year, again a slight decrease on the €9.85m bill this year.

The Seanad ordinarily has 60 members, meaning an average cost of €157,000 next year versus €164,000 this year.

The Oireachtas estimates predict substantial savings will be made in the expenses of TDs and senators next year. Equally, it envisages savings of almost €1.2m on administration costs.

But some costs elsewhere in the budget are predicted to rise, offsetting some of the savings being made.

For example, the cost of televising Dáil and Seanad Eireann proceedings and other services is predicted to rise from €1.591m this year to €1.858m next year.