By Noel O’Driscoll
KILDARE South three TDs received €120,000 in expenses in 2011 following the general election.
The constituency’s newest deputy Martin Heydon received the largest expenses having claimed €45,478.95.
Deputy Jack Wall received the second highest expenses when he claimed €38,331.58. The lowest expenses claimant was Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl who claimed €36,434.87.
The maximum amount a TD can claim is affected by whether they provide receipts (vouch) for their expenses, with those who provide receipts receiving a higher rate.
The geographical distance a TD lives from the Dáil affects the level of expenses he or she can claim, with those living further from the Dáil able to claim more. Kildare South TDs fall into one of two different mileage claim categories. Band one is for TDs living more than 25km from the Dáil but less than 60km and they can claim €28,106 annually. Band two is for those living more than 60km but less than 90km ands these can claim €30,350 annually.
Deputies Ó Fearghaíl and Heydon are classified as band one while Deputy Wall was deemed to be living in band two. Deputies Ó Fearghaíl and Wall claimed unvouched expenses while Deputy Heydon claimed his expenses with receipts.
Deputy Heydon explained what the expenses paid for. “The expenses compensate public representatives for money spent on travel and accommodation. The expenses also consist of the public representatives allowance, which pays for TDs to rent an office and the costs of running that office such as light, heat and telephone costs” Deputy Wall said that it would take up all of his time and he would get little else done if he was to collect all his receipts.
“It doesn’t make practical sense in my view to keep all receipts. If I did keep all the receipts I could be getting more than I am getting but I have no intention of doing that, my life wouldn’t be worth living if I had to try and do that, it would be almost impossible. It’s handier and more clear cut to claim less through unvouched expenses. There is no financial return to me at all from the expenses, in fact I know that my expenses as a public representative eat well into my salary.”
Deputy Ó Feargháil said that there was understandable public cynicsm about the expenses regime. “It is a convoluted system which is awkward and cumbersome and there is a degree of cynicism among the public which I fully understand. However the public elect us to represent them and it costs money to have a constituency office and to provide the service that we do. If the system was a bit more transparent there might be less cynicism than there is.”