Paul Hosford: Why is it so hard to find out who TDs hire?

Money must be spent in a way that is fair and representative and democratic. It must also be spent across the board on TDs, as unpopular as that might be to say.  Picture: Maxwells

In the years of the financial crash, in 2011 or so, there developed a fascination with the scale of spending on the political system.

It wasn't that people thought that this spending had brought wreck and ruin to the Irish economy — it was a drop in a banking sector-sized ocean.

It was more that it was a symptom. A symptom of a system which had become carried away by excess. 

For a small period of time, there was an awful lot of scrutiny on the money that was spent specifically on the roles to support politicians. 

Years ago, the idea of family members being appointed by a TD would have created more of a stir.

Even in 2020, when it was revealed that one in seven TDs had hired a family member, there was little reaction. 

This came at a time when hundreds of thousands of people were availing of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). 

So, what changed? In reality, very little changed in terms of attitudes towards public spending or the body politic. 

But with higher economic tides and with what the public perceives as bigger wastes — bike sheds and IT systems spring to mind — it is harder to grab attention with stories of spending. 

Money must be spent in a way that is fair and representative and democratic. 

It must be spent on our legal system, regardless of how well-paid some people feel judges are. 

It must be spent across the board on TDs, as unpopular as that might be to say. 

There is an argument that the generous pay of TDs is part of the attraction for capable people who may earn more in private enterprise.

There is an even better argument that TDs need to be supported and buttressed by capable staff in order to represent the public. 

TDs contacted throughout this process said repeatedly that all they searched for in a staff member were a mix of ability, discretion, and loyalty. 

If that's to be found in the family, so be it. But it shouldn't be hard to find this information. 

It shouldn't take two journalists a week to contact every TD, to be ignored by some, ghosted by others. 

If public officials are serious about transparency and believe that they've made the right decisions in their hiring, they should say it without being prompted. 

Part of what makes the public sceptical about spending of taxpayers' money is that much of it is done without being declared.

Does it matter who a TD decides is best-placed to do the job assisting them? That depends on your personal perspective. But it shouldn't be hard to find out.