Politicians made return €166k overpaid expenses

Forty-seven TDs and senators who were overpaid expenses were made refund over €166,000, it can be revealed.

According to new figures from the Houses of the Oireachtas, seen by the Irish Examiner, members of both the Dáil and the Seanad were forced to return monies for failing to meet the full attendance threshold of 120 days last year.

The Parliamentary Standard Allowance (PSA) which all TDs and senators get is made up of two separate allowances: Travel and Accommodation (TAA) and Public Representation Allowance (PRA).

The travel allowance is paid to TDs and senators only, while PRA is paid to TDs, senators and ministers.

According to the documents, the total amount returned amounted to €166,966.39.

The vast majority of that, €156,531.23 was made up of unexpended amounts awarded to 47 TDs and senators under the PRA.

This allowance covers expenses such as office and other associated costs permitted under the regulations.

In 2018, members nominated to be paid either the maximum vouched allowance or a lower amount, also fully vouched.

Under the rules, annually a TD is entitled to a maximum allowance of €20,350, while a minister can claim €16,000. Senators get lower amounts and are entitled to the maximum allowance of €12,225 per year.

Members who take this allowance must repay any unspent amounts. The Oireachtas has confirmed that in all cases where this happened the amounts were repaid.

The documents showed that 11 members opted to waive some or all of their entitlement to the allowance.

Just one member spent more than the maximum amount and claimed an additional €1,150 for the period.

The documents also detail that just eight members of both the Dáil and the Seanad did not reach the full 120-day limit in terms of claiming the TAA, which is paid based on the distance members are located from Leinster House.

Refunds of €9,737.16 were received back by the Oireachtas from those who did not make the 120-day threshold.

Members must repay 1% of the allowance back for every day less than the required 120-day limit.

The documents show that a total of €698 was repaid by two members voluntarily under the TAA heading.

The Allowance is based on 12 bands depending on the distance to Leinster House from the members’ normal place of residence by the shortest practicable route. It also includes a fixed accommodation allowance.

This allowance does not apply to ministers or ministers of state. Members are paid the same amount, at the band rate applicable to a TD or senator for the period they were a TD or senator.

Both allowances are paid to members together in a single monthly sum, in arrears.