Pressure on TDs as election spending figures are released

MOST of the Cabinet are expected to be in breach of election expenditure limits when campaign spending statements for last year’s general election are published today, Government sources said last night.

A full breakdown of what the Government spent to get re-elected in May 2002 will be disclosed in a report by the Standards in Public Offices Commission but already it is conceded that the majority of Government ministers and a number of TDs are over-budget.

In theory, exceeding the limit could leave a deputy open to criminal prosecution while a more serious offence such as making a false declaration of expenditure is punishable by a fine of over 25,000 and/or three years in prison.