PAC probe urged as Creighton accuses Hogan of abuse of taxpayers’ money
The former European affairs minister also called on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to investigate how parties were using taxpayers’ money amid concerns over a lack of transparency.
Her comments came as TDs last night agreed in the Dáil to cut the allowance for party leaders and independents by 10% and for future claims to be vouched. TDs also agreed to abolish severance pay for ministers.
Ms Creighton used the debate to raise the issue of how political parties are funded and how this is then independently assessed. She said that Fine Gael — from which parliamentary party she was expelled for opposing the abortion legislation — had failed to keep an election process to have its annual accounts audited.
The Dublin South-East TD claimed Environment Minister Phil Hogan had refused to implement a recommendation by the political standards body, SIPO, to publish the accounts of local party branches or cumainn.
“This is an obvious way for parties to avoid transparency because such branches are not accountable to the SIPO.”
Ms Creighton said parties were receiving more funding than in recent years. She also pointed out that Fine Gael and Labour were still in receipt of around €600,000 for TDs, including herself, who had been expelled from parliamentary parties.
“It is grossly hypocritical for political parties to continue to approve substantial increases in the funding they receive,” she added, saying this was “repulsive”.
“Almost €600,000 in top-ups is being paid by the taxpayer to the headquarters of both parties in respect of deputies who are no longer members of those parties.”
But Ms Creighton then made her most significant attack yet on Fine Gael and in particular on Mr Hogan.
She claimed he was responsible for leaks to the media which said that Fine Gael would do everything possible with those public funds to “manipulate” taxpayers to vote in a particular way at the next general election.
Referring to Mr Hogan’s previous comments that he had no time to “micromanage” Irish Water, she added: “If that source spent more time in his ministerial office micromanaging the funds he says he does not have time to micromanage and less time spinning to the media and trying to manipulate the internal workings of a certain political party, he would be doing a much greater service to the taxpayers and other citizens of this country than is the case at present.
“The deliberate and orchestrated use and abuse of taxpayers’ money to undermine the constitutional role of elected deputies is completely unacceptable. I request that the leader of the party in question [Enda Kenny] and others come before the House to clarify how the resources to which I refer are being manipulated.”
Ms Creighton also called upon the PAC to investigate how all party funds are spent.
