Gardaí should be doing the work of tribunals – at a fraction of the cost

IVOR CALLELY may have had a valid point when he questioned the way the Seanad deplored his claims for more than €81,000 in expenses, largely for travelling from his holiday home in west Cork to Dublin on Oireachtas business. He contended he was entitled to claim the travelling expenses from his holiday home.

It seems other members of the Oireachtas have Dublin homes, but they claim travelling expenses from their constituencies. Maybe this is just exploiting a loophole in the system, but Callely seemed to have a point in contending the Seanad was making a scapegoat of him and ignoring people who were doing essentially the same thing, only the other way around.

Callely contends he has been defamed and is threatening to look for damages. Even if his Seanad colleagues were behaving hypocritically in turning the blind eye to similar conduct by others, this does not justify his behaviour.