The cost of running the Houses of the Oireachtas was just over €107 million in 2010 – some €10.6 million less than the budgeted amount and a drop of nine percent on the previous year.
The total spend includes the cost of running Leinster House, staff costs and services for members as well as salaries for TDs and Senators.
The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission which published its 2010 Annual Report today said the 2011 spend is "now comparable to 2006 levels or, in real terms, closer to 2002/2003 levels".
According to the report the cost savings were achieved by a 10 percent decrease in the pay of TDs and Senators amounting to €2.3million; reductions in members' allowances by €1.2m; decreases in staff salaries of €2.2 million; and reducing IT, communications and printing costs by €4.1m
There was also a fall in the numbers of staff from 435 to 387.
The Houses of the Oireachtas cost reduction and efficiency plan set up under the Croke Park agreement targets further savings of €7.5 million in 2011/12.
The report also contains information on the sittings and business of the Houses for most of 2010 and the early part of 2011 – including the general election this year. It found there had been 100 Dáil sittings amounting to 843 hours; 97 Seanad sittings amounting to 613 hours and 623 committee sittings amounting to 1,065 hours.
The report also found the Oireachtas performed well when benchmarked against other national parliaments surveyed in terms of total sitting days and sitting hours.
When comparing the number of recess weeks out of ten parliaments surveyed, Dáil Éireann finished in joint third place with the UK.
The Irish habit of asking parliamentary questions was also considered to be highly active when compared with other parliaments surveyed.
The report also found that following the General Elections this year , almost hald of the members returned to the 31st Dáil and 24th Seanad are new members.
