TDs and Senators run up €14.5k bill for new phones and accessories

TDs and Senators claimed more than €14,500 for new phones and accessories over a seven month period up to the end of June.

The payments were made under the Direct Purchase Scheme, which allows politicians to claim up to €750 for a new mobile every eighteen months.

Claims under the scheme have not been as brisk as usual during Covid-19, with just twenty-two invoices processed during the seven month period.

Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne paid €799 for a new Samsung Galaxy S20 in March, of which €750 was paid by the Oireachtas.

His party colleague Rose Conway-Walsh splashed out €1,449 on a phone with a further €45 paid out for a mobile case.

The €1,494 outlay paid for an iPhone 11 Pro Max with 256GB of memory – but just €750 of the bill was possible to recoup under the scheme.

Green TD Malcolm Noonan claimed €479.96 for a Samsung phone with a battery pack and screen cover. This was claimed in March, several months before he was appointed a minister of state.

Another Malcolm, this time Senator Malcolm Byrne of Fianna Fáil, put in a claim for €549.99 for an Apple iPhone in early June.

Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway picked up something of a bargain – paying out €349 for an iPhone with a further €54.98 spent on an Otterbox case.

Senator Gerard Craughwell forked out €875 for a new Samsung Galaxy S20 along with a Bluetooth hands-free kit according to the records. His claim was capped at €750 under the Oireachtas rules.

Fine Gael Senator John Cummins also recouped €750 of an €801.79 bill he paid out for an iPhone, a case, and a €10.99-a-month insurance package.

Party colleague Emer Higgins claimed €734.62 in June, the records show, to cover the cost of a Samsung Galaxy S20 and “gadget insurance”.

The Labour leader Alan Kelly paid out €1,010 in January for an Apple iPhone costing €699, and a two-year mobile insurance policy costing €13-a-month. Of that, €750 was paid by the Oireachtas.

Senator Billy Lawless claimed just under the cap at €734.89 to cover the cost of a €669.99 iPhone and protective case.

The Fine Gael Senator John McGahon paid out €1,179 for an iPhone 11 Pro of which he was able to claim the standard €750 back.

Former minister Denis Naughten claimed €649 for the cost of an iPhone 7 while Independent Richard O’Donoghue was paid €750 of €938 spent on a Samsung Galaxy handset.

Claims were also made by Sinn Féin’s Maurice Quinlivan for €384.89 for a phone and case and Fianna Fáil’s Anne Rabbitte for €578 for an iPhone with accessories.

Of the claims made in December, Fine Gael’s Fergus O’Dowd was able to secure a saving of €501.99 on the price of his phone.

His claim form lists a purchase price of €709 for a new iPhone with a generous “discount” bringing the price down from €1,210.99.

Under Oireachtas rules, every TD and Senator can claim up to €750 once every eighteen months for a “mobile phone and car kit from a provider of their choice”.

The Oireachtas said: “The costs covered included the purchase of a handset, car kit, yearly insurance premium, maintenance and miscellaneous expenses. In order to be reimbursed, members must complete a claim form and provide supporting receipts.” 

The scheme is only open to TDs and Senators and is not available to ministers. Their phones are provided free by their department.