TD Expenses

Houses of the Oireachtas Fulfils its Commitment to Publish Members’ Expenses

1 June 2010

The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission has today (Tuesday) announced its intention to publish details of payments made to Members of the Oireachtas under the single parliamentary allowance.

From today, all amounts paid to Members will be published on the Oireachtas website on a retrospective monthly basis. The figures for March and April 2010 are published simultaneously and thereafter on the last working day of each month. http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/tdssenators/parliamentarystandardallowance

In publishing these records the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission is fulfilling a previous commitment to provide this information in an accessible way for the public.

The Chairman of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, Ceann Comhairle, Seamus Kirk, TD said:
“This change in policy is another important step for the Houses of the Oireachtas. It provides the public with detailed, up-to-date information on the level of allowances paid to their elected representatives on a monthly basis.

I think it is acknowledged that there are certain costs that Members of the Oireachtas incur in relation to their travel and accommodation costs when attending the Oireachtas and in serving the needs of their constituents.

I believe that regularly disclosing these costs will result in a greater level of accountability and will bring more public confidence to the system. Today’s initiative is part of the ongoing commitment by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to provide open, transparent and accountable Parliament on behalf of the people who elect it”.

Today’s announcement adds to the recent reforms made to the way TDs and Senators expenses are vouched and accounted for. Under the new system, introduced earlier this year, Members are given a standard all-in-one monthly parliamentary allowance to defray costs incurred.

These changes have streamlined the system for Members and are now more verifiable and accountable from the public’s perspective. In addition, Members are now required to verify their attendance at Leinster House and will be liable for deductions for non-attendance.