Political parties net €12m from taxpayers in 2004

POLITICAL parties received over €12 million of taxpayers’ money last year, new figures have shown.

Qualifying parties are given cash from the public purse to pay for parliamentary activities, internal administration, research, training and policy formulation. They cannot spend the money on elections.

According to the Standards in Public Office Commission, seven parties qualified for funding in 2004, and received €12.22m between them from the Exchequer.

Fianna Fáil received the largest amount, based principally on the fact that it has the biggest representation in the Dáil and Seanad. It received €4.7m last year. Fine Gael received €3.2m, Labour €1.9m, the PDs €751,141, the Green Party €675,878, Sinn Féin €858,173, and the Socialist Party €83,720.

Several parties also pulled in sizeable amounts through political donations. Sinn Féin topped the list, receiving more than €88,000 last year. Fianna Fáil pulled in €43,572, the Green Party €36,258, and the Socialist Party €18,520.

However, this does not give a true picture of their accounts, as the parties have to disclose to the commission only those donations which exceed €5,078.95. The maximum a party can accept from the same donor in a single year is €6,348.69.

The figures showed individual TDs, senators and MEPs received donations totalling €166,793.

The campaign to re-elect President Mary McAleese, meanwhile, pulled in more than €137,000 in donations. There was no poll in the end, however, as Ms McAleese was unopposed at the election. Approximately €91,000 was returned to donors.

The figures were contained in the annual report of the commission, which monitors compliance by public bodies and figures with the Ethics and Electoral Acts.

Commission chairman, Mr Justice Matthew Smith, said the legislation had been “hugely beneficial” in ensuring probity in public life.

However, he warned there was no room for complacency, saying it was time to carry out an assessment of the legislation’s impact.