Sir, - Further to Mr Michael Colley's letter (January 9th), I wish to clarify that notwithstanding the General Election, Dail Eireann in plenary session sat for a total of 81 days in 1997. However, the discerning reader will acknowledge that the Constitutional role of a TD extends well beyond the walls of the Dail chamber.
In recent years, the norm has been that when Dail Eireann is not in plenary session, committees of the House continue to carry out parliamentary business. Indeed, in 1997, more than 230 committee meetings were held and while the House itself resumes on January 28th, committees of the House have already met this month with a further eight meetings scheduled for the week commencing January 12th.
In this regard also, it is a well known fact (and one seldom acknowledged in public), that TDs do not cease to function as elected representatives just because Dail Eireann is not in formal session. So many and varied are the functions and commitments of a TD in public life that it is hardly necessary for me to state what is obvious to their constituents. Furthermore, it is well known that a very important aspect of the role of a public representative is their accessibility to their constituents at clinics and indeed in their private homes.
For the record, a TD's allowance is £34,967 per annum, alongside which he/she is entitled to certain statutory payments in respect of legitimate expenses. - Yours etc., Verona Ni Bhroinn,
Public Relations Officer,
Dail Eireann,
Dublin 2.