TDs claim €567,000 in expenses for just one month

The figures also show that members of the last Seanad, which did not sit from November 7 until February, claimed a combined €126,000 in Parliamentary Standard Allowance in December.

TDs claimed more than €567,000 in expenses for December, the first month of the new Dáil term, when the House sat on just one occasion.

Details of the Parliamentary Standard Allowance (PSA) claims from December have been published, showing the amounts claimed in unvouched travel expenses and office costs. 

The Dáil sat on December 18 following the general election, but it was solely to elect Verona Murphy to the role of ceann comhairle. It did not sit again until January 22 — when it failed to elect Micheál Martin as Taoiseach due to a row over speaking time.

The Parliamentary Standard Allowance is an annual allowance paid monthly to members of the Oireachtas. It is made up of two separate allowances: Travel and accommodation allowance (TAA) and public representation allowance (PRA).

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

For travel, TDs can claim between €9,000 and €34,065 a year in travel and accommodation expenses, depending on the distance between their home and the Dáil.

This means the largest claims come from those TDs who live the furthest from the Dáil. Cork South West's Michael Collins is the only TD listed as being in band 12 of the claims, claiming €4,534.58 for the month. 

Those in band 11 — Holly Cairns, along with Danny and Michael Healy-Rae — claimed €4,478.75.

The figures also show that members of the last Seanad, which did not sit from November 7 until February, claimed a combined €126,000 in Parliamentary Standard Allowance in December.

Attendance

The Houses of the Oireachtas say that, at the end of the year, each member must "certify that the amount paid to them was applied in respect of expenses incurred for the purpose specified in the regulations", adding that the travel and accommodation allowance is calculated on the basis of 150 days attendance at Leinster House. 

However, members must register their attendance in Leinster House for at least 120 days annually to retain the full allowance.

Figures released by the Oireachtas show that registered attendance at Leinster House for the month varied from four days to 12 in December, with nearly all TDs registering attendance on the lone sitting day.

TDs and senators can also claim the Parliamentary Representation Allowance — which entitles TDs 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 public representation allowance covers the costs associated with members’ work as public representatives — such as office rental, leaflet printing, and web hosting.

TDs can also claim up to €8,000 for the establishment of a constituency office, €750 every 18 months for phone purchase, around €400 for graphic design services, and up to €25,000 for security measures at their home or office, provided they have done the work and had a security assessment carried out.

While Dublin-based politicians are entitled to claim up to €9,000 a year in travel costs, some do not claim anything.

In the last Dáil and Seanad, Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin and senators Fintan Warfield and Lynn Boylan, Social Democrats TD Cian O'Callaghan, and Fianna Fáil's Jim O'Callaghan all declined to make claims under the travel and accommodation allowance. A further 14 TDs and senators waived some part of their allowance.