Fine Gael TD's €10,600 claim tops expenses list

FINE GAEL TD for Cork South West PJ Sheehan said “somebody has to come out on top of the list” after emerging as the TD claiming the largest amount of expenses.

The travel and accommodation costs of TDs for March and April, along with a payment called Public Representation Allowance, were published on the Oireachtas website for the first time yesterday.

Mr Sheehan, who claimed almost €10,600 over the two months, said he was the TD living furthest from Leinster House, “seven miles from the Mizen Head in West Cork”. He said “it would only be equitable” for him to receive €10,591.68 for his “vouched and audited” expenses.

“Somebody has to come out on top of the list and this scheme shows that the person with the greatest distance to travel has come out on top,” he added.

The travel allowance depends on the distance from Leinster House in Dublin, and is based on a series of bands of 30km. Mr Sheehan pointed out he was the only TD residing within band 12, which allows TDs living over 360km away to claim €37,850 a year. Mr Sheehan said the cost of running a constituency office in Bantry was a greater amount than he could claim in expenses and his travel and accommodation allowance was paid at a rate that was “drastically cut” in the past year.

No expenses were recorded by Mr Sheehan’s constituency colleague, Christy O’Sullivan of Fianna Fáil, who is based in Clonakilty, although when contacted he indicated he had submitted details. The third TD in Cork South West, Bandon-based Jim O’Keeffe of Fine Gael, claimed €8,432.34 over two months. He lives within band nine, meaning his home is 270 – 300km from Leinster House.

Independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae of Kerry South and Donegal South West TD Dinny McGinley of Fine Gael each claimed €10,467.68 over two months. Both TDs can claim €37,106 a year because they live 330 – 360km from Leinster House, or within band 11.

Mr Healy-Rae’s constituency colleague John O’Donoghue, who also lives within band 11, claimed €8,684.34 over two months. Mr O’Donoghue resigned as ceann comhairle last October, contending he had become the scapegoat for an expenses regime that had fallen into disrepute. The third TD in Kerry South, Tom Sheahan of Fine Gael, claimed €10,215.68 over two months. Mr Sheahan lives 270 – 300km from Leinster House, within band nine.

Kerry North TD Jimmy Deenihan of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil’s Niall Blaney of Donegal North East and Michael Moynihan of Cork North West, who live within band nine, also claimed €10,215.68 over two months.

A number of TDs living 240-270km from Leinster House claimed €10,091.68 over two months. They included Fianna Fáil’s Beverley Flynn of Mayo, John Cregan of Limerick West, Noel O’Flynn of Cork North Central and Michael McGrath of Cork South Central. Fine Gael’s David Stanton of Cork East, Deirdre Clune of Cork South Central, Simon Coveney of Cork South Central and Joe Carey and Pat Breen of Clare fell into the same category. Labour’s Ciarán Lynch of Cork South Central claimed the same amount.

Green TD for Dublin North Trevor Sargent was one of a number of TDs in band one (25-60km from Leinster House) who claimed €4,483.84 for March and the same amount for April.