Fianna Fáil dominate the donations league

FIANNA FÁIL got almost two-thirds of the political donations to TDs and Senators last year, raking in almost €300,000 in the run-up to the election.

Thu, 01 May, 2003 - 01:00

Fionnán Sheahan and Michael O'Farrell

The disclosure came on the same day as the results of a survey showing that only a third of people polled think politicians are honest.

Yesterday, a report by the Standards in Public Offices Commission showed almost €470,000 was received by Oireachtas members last year, and that Environment Minister Martin Cullen was in a league of his own when it came to bringing in political donations.

Minister Cullen said he received €34,722 in donations twice as much as anyone else. Fianna Fáil TDs took up the top 11 places in the political donations table.

Aside from Fianna Fáil, two MEPs who failed to win Dáil seats Fine Gael's Avril Doyle and Independent Dana Rosemary Scallon received most donations, with €9,000 and €6,700 respectively.

Former Fine Gael Senator Madeleine Taylor Quinn was the only politician who failed to file a donation statement, and the Commission has referred the matter to the Gardaí for investigation.

Only donations exceeding €635 had to be declared by TDs, Senators and MEPs, with an upper limit of €2,500 on the amount that could be received from any one source.

Donors contributing over €5,000 also had to make a disclosure.

Former Progressive Democrat TD Bobby Molloy donated €6,150 to the three PD candidates in his Galway West constituency.

Fianna Fáil supporter Alan Graham from Rathgar in Dublin, a partner with Matheson Ormsby Prentice Solicitors, gave €11,550 to five FF candidates and the party.

According to a study by the Central Statistics Office, only half of the electorate under the age of 25 voted in last year's general election.

But turnout among the elderly was far higher, with nine out of 10 going to the polls

While three-quarters of employed people voted in the general election, just under six out of 10 unemployed people cast their ballots. Equal amounts of men and women went to the polls on voting day.