Sinn Féin ‘not on a gravy train’

SINN FÉIN is “not on a gravy train” Gerry Adams insisted after it emerged he and four of his party’s MPs claimed more than €500,000 in allowances for homes in London, despite not taking up seats in Westminster.

The claims were made in the past five years on receipts from an Irish landlord living in London.

Mr Adams and the North’s deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness, jointly claimed expenses of £3,600 (€4,060) a month to rent a flat in north London. Three other MPs – Michelle Gildernew, Pat Doherty and Conor Murphy – claimed £5,400 (€6,000) a month between them for a shared town house in the city.

The Daily Telegraph, which revealed details of the expenses yesterday, quoted an estate agent who said the rents were far above the market norm for the areas.

Mr Adams said the claims were legitimate. “We don’t draw any personal expenses for our own self gain,” he said.

The party’s chairperson, Mary Lou McDonald said: “There’s no secrecy around what Sinn Féin claims in any of the parliaments that we have people elected to.”

The expenses claims were made despite the Sinn Féin MPs not taking up seats in the parliament which requires swearing an oath of allegiance to the queen. But they were given permission to claim expenses in 2001 as part of the peace process.

“We do not take seats at Westminster and our policy of abstention is one that is broadly supported by the nationalist and republican communities in the six counties,” said Ms McDonald

At the launch of the party’s candidate for the Dublin Central by-election, Councillor Christy Burke, Ms McDonald said the expenses controversy was “a non-story”.

She said: “We do still provide for the people that vote for us, a first class service. So anything that we draw down is used for constituency service, we do run an office from Westminster, the MPs are regularly back and forward as part of our campaign work for a united Ireland and also for our engagement in the peace process.”

It was also revealed that the five MPs claimed for widescreen TVs, each costing £329 (€363), and Sony DVD surround sound systems at £230 (€253) each.