Group of FF TDs to oppose ‘clocking in’ proposal

A GROUP of Fianna Fáil TDs have told Finance Minister Brian Lenihan they will oppose any effort to get them to “clock in” so that their attendances in the Dáil can be monitored.

Earlier this month, Mr Lenihan was reported as saying he would overhaul the expenses system for TDs to ensure transparency and value for money.

“I will be insisting on some form of independent verification, such as an electronic means,” he said, raising the prospect of TDs having to clock in or use a swipe card to verify their attendance.

But a group of Fianna Fáil TDs met with Mr Lenihan yesterday and made clear they were against any such plan.

“This is a constitutional office, we are elected by the public and the public will judge you,” one TD who attended the meeting said. “Judges don’t have to swipe in. Ministers don’t have to swipe in. This would be an insult.

“We’re honest in our dealings, and we don’t mind some kind of verification system, but don’t be asking us to act like factory workers, as if it were an eight-to-five job. This isn’t an eight-to-five job,” he added.

The TDs also voiced their concerns about proposals to provide them with a single lump-sum payment each month to cover expenses. This would replace the existing system whereby TDs get a range of expense allowances under different headings, such as telephone and constituency office allowances.

A clause was inserted in legislation passed in the Dáil this week that would allow Mr Lenihan to group these allowances into “a single composite monthly payment” should he decide this is necessary. The minister would also determine the amount payable if such a system were introduced.

But the TDs fear a single monthly payment would be set at a lower rate than their existing expenses, and say they are already losing money under the current system.

One TD said: “We get a grant of €8,800 for our constituency offices but most of us are paying €15,000 to €20,000 a year to rent the offices, so we’re losing money.”

Mr Lenihan has asked the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, which runs the Dáil and Seanad, to propose savings in this area.

But one TD said colleagues felt targeted, and demanded to know what steps the commission was taking to reduce costs in other areas.

“It costs €461,000 a year to accommodate journalists in Leinster House,” he said.