Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins has said he may return €935 travel expenses should independent legal advice advise him to do so.
Mr Higgins is one of three United Left Alliance TDs, including Clare Daly of the Socialist Party and Joan Collins of People Before Profit, embroiled in a row over the use of their Dublin travel allowances.
All three said they used the allowance to cover the expenses of attending meetings and rallies against household charges and water taxes outside Dublin.
Speaking this morning Mr Higgins said should independent legal counsel advise him to do so he would repay the money.
Mr Higgins told RTÉ he had written to an Oireachtas commission to seek detailed clarification on the rules governing the allowance.
Later the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney questioned the need to seek independent legal advice saying the determination of the Oireachtas Commission “should be respected by all TDs”.
He said: “If TDS want to make a case for allowances for further travel or further activity which may be very genuine in terms of expenses well then we should be making a case for that separately but that’s not what constituency allowances are about.”
Last night, Mr Higgins criticised the Houses of the Oireachtas service for not acceding to his request for a meeting before issuing its conclusions. He again challenged its interpretation of the statutory instrument from 2010 and maintained travel outside the constituency was allowable under the regulations.
“I believe that the reference [in the regulations] to ‘travel expenses which the member is obliged to incur in the performance of his or her duties as a member of Dáil Eireann’ clearly refers to elected representatives honouring their election mandates,” he said.
Mr Higgins also released details of his travel and accommodation expenditure. He travelled to 22 locations outside Dublin, including Mayo, Monaghan, Clare, Waterford, Kerry, Donegal, Galway, Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford, and Offaly. His total bill for more than 6,000km travelled came to a modest €935, including a BB bill for €35.