Sinn Féin's Dessie Ellis given special €90,000 salary deal during recession

Sinn Féin has failed to say if all of its TDs and senators are taking the industrial wage after it emerged that long-standing TD Dessie Ellis was given a special deal at the depth of the economic crash to take the full €90,000 Dáil salary.

A party spokesperson avoided the question last night and instead said it is up to individual politicians to decide if they adhere to the “not mandatory” party policy, despite a small number of party TDs saying they had no idea some of their colleagues were in receipt of the full salary.

Under a long-standing and repeatedly-stated Sinn Féin policy, the party has said its TDs and senators “voluntarily” take only €39,500 of their Oireachtas salary, with €2,500 returned to the party and the remainder spent on constituency issues.