INDEPENDENT SENATOR David Norris has said he did not disclose his lecturer’s pension on the register of interests for Oireachtas members because he was officially advised he did not need to.
Mr Norris (66), who is standing for re-election to the Seanad and hopes to run for president this year, worked in Trinity College Dublin and is in receipt of a pension from the university.
In his entry in the register of interests, he lists occupational income from public speaking, but makes no reference to his pension.
A spokesman said Mr Norris had contacted the Standards in Public Office Commission before completing his entry and was told he did not need to declare the pension because it did not involve a “paid employable position”.
A commission spokesman told The Irish Times it regards a pension as occupational income.
Under the ethics Acts, disclosure of registrable interests applies equally to office-holders (such as ministers) and non-office-holder TDs and senators, the spokesman said. Only three Senators declared pension income in the register of interests for 2010.
Mr Norris’s spokesman said he always declared his pension income in his tax returns. If he had erred in his declaration, he had “no problem” correcting his entry in the register. He is entitled to a contributory old age pension, the spokesman pointed out, but had opted not to take it up.
In the race for the Áras, Mr Norris is early bookies’ favourite. Since launching his campaign for the presidency last month, he has lobbied county councillors for their support.
Under the Constitution, every candidate for the presidential election must be nominated by either 20 members of the Oireachtas or by four local authorities.
His spokesman declined to comment on reports some political parties had told their councillors not to support Mr Norris’s nomination, but said he had “full faith” in his fellow public representatives to allow him go forward.
