Dylan Haskins, Independent candidate for Dublin South East in last year’s general election, has announced he is to donate €10,000 of his election fund to 10 charities and causes.
Mr Haskins said the money will go towards causes that carry out work within the scope of his election campaign policy areas.
The candidate was reimbursed to the tune of €8,700 in electoral expenses and coupled with a surplus in campaign donations brings the total to €10,000.
The Standards in Public Office Commission reimburses expenses to elected candidates and those who receive over a quarter of the quota (6,984 votes in the case of Dublin South East).
Mr Haskins was eliminated on the fourth count with 1,928 votes and the four constituency seats were eventually divided between Fine Gael’s Lucinda Creighton and Eoghan Murphy and Labour’s Ruairi Quinn and Kevin Humphreys.
The charities and causes selected include; thestory.ie (€1,000), Educate Together (€1,500), Headstrong (€1,000), Cluain Mhuire (€1,000), Outhouse (€500), Marriage Equality (€500), Dublintellectual (€1,000), Young Social Innovators (€1,000) Youth Theatre (€1,000) and Free Legal Advice Centres (€1,500).
“The charities and causes have been suggested and selected collectively by eight of the full time campaign team and myself on behalf of all who worked on and contributed to the campaign.
“None of these people were paid and so these donations are as much from them as from me,” Mr Haskins said.