Gallagher miffed at leaflet snub

PRESIDENTIAL hopeful Sean Gallagher has said he is ‘disappointed’ the Government has ignored his cost-saving plan to post all candidates’ election adverts together.

The ‘Litir Um Thoghchan’ scheme provides for free postage of a leaflet from each nominated candidate/party to every household in the country.

Mr Gallagher put forward the suggestion that this should be limited to just one combined piece of literature which would feature all of the nominated candidates, giving each person ‘equal space’.

The Dragons’ Den star wrote to ministers Denis Naughten and Eoghan Murphy early last month putting forward a proposal he claimed would save the State approximately €10million.

The Independent candidate – who has had strong links to Fianna Fáil in the past – made a similar suggestion during his failed 2011 bid for the Áras.

In recent weeks he said the cost to the Exchequer of providing a combined leaflet would have been approximately €1.66million as opposed to €11.63million for posting individual leaflets. Responding to Mr Gallagher, Minister Murphy’s office said of the State’s ‘Litir Um Thoghchan’ scheme that ‘any changes to these provisions would require amendment to primary legislation and cannot be undone by regulation’. Mr Gallagher told the Mail he believes this is ‘a missed opportunity’.