Politicians’ expenses - System still wide open to abuse

The new system for members of the Oireachtas to claim expenses amounting to €10 million annually has already been diluted.

This is within three months of its introduction.

The revised system was introduced on March 1, 2010. In accordance with it deputies can claim unvouched travel expenses of between €12,000 and €37,850 annually, depending on where they live and the distance they must travel to Leinster House, while senators can claim between €7,000, and €32,850.

To qualify for the maximum travel and accommodation allowance, deputies and senators must attend Leinster House 120 days a year. The claims are cut by 1% for every day short of the minimum requirement that they register their presence at the Oireachtas during the year.

They can register their presence by using electronic keys at five locations within Leinster House, or those who prefer the more traditional way can sign the attendance register at the enquiries desk in the entrance hall, where members routinely collect their mail.

This system of clocking in is unpopular with the politicians who seem to resent being expected to clock in like ordinary workers. There are unlikely to get much public sympathy, if they feel they are being inconvenienced in this way.

Deputies can make also make unvouched claims for up to €15,000 extra in a public service allowance, or up to €27,500 in expenses for which receipts are submitted. Meanwhile senators can claim €9,250 in unvouched expenses, or up to €15,000 in the public service allowance for which receipts are furnished.

Deputies and senators on overseas assignments are being marked present in the Dáil, so they can collect Oireachtas expenses while they are abroad. Moreover the party whips will be able to certify that politicians were present for up to 10 different days, even if they have not been recorded as contributing to any proceedings and have not engaged electronic voting, or signed the register at Leinster House on any of those days.

They are only being asked to register that they attended about half the number of days that other people normally work, and in effect they can be allowed an extra 10 days for which they forgot to register their presence. There are undoubtedly going to be genuine instances in which politicians overlook registration, but this is a small price for them to pay to eliminate the outrageous abuses that have taken place.

A dramatic impact was shown in the marked decline in the claims of Senator Ivor Callely since the new system was introduced. He had claimed over €81,000 for last year. From 2007 through 2009 he was claiming the €137.67 overnight allowance, even though he was staying in his Dublin home on those nights.

Such abuses were an outrage, and there must be no reversion to past practices. Politicians who forget to register their presence at Leinster House will quickly overcome their forgetfulness if their pockets are hit. If they remain so forgetful they cannot remember to register they are probably not doing much useful work anyway.