Swing-gate TD had to repay €2k in expenses she wasn’t entitled to
Bailey among six politicians with ineligible cash claims
MARIA Bailey had to refund almost €2,000 in her TD’s expenses claims following an audit.
The swing-gate deputy was among six TDs and senators who had to refund almost €10,000 between them in claims.
An audit of the Oireachtas politicians’ spending found she could not provide supporting evidence to justify €1,977.11.
Ms Bailey, a Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, was removed as chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing in July as a result of her controversial personal injuries claim after falling from a swing in a Dublin hotel.
She and two party colleagues, Alan Farrell TD and Senator Michelle Mulherin, accounted for the bulk of the ineligible claims.
The Public Representation Allowance audit for 2017 found almost a quarter of those selected for scrutiny were not able to validate their total claim.
Independent auditors Mazars found six out of the 22 TDs and senators they checked had made ineligible claims worth €9,650 out of a total of €71,622 paid. All reimbursed the money.
The invalid claims were: Mr Farrell, €4,214.79; Ms Bailey, €1,977.11: Senators Lynn Ruane (Ind), €978.81; Ms Mulherin, €2,006.73; Colette Kelleher (Ind) €245.85 and Jerry Buttimer (FG) €227.16.
Ms Mulherin and Mr Buttimer both claimed the issue arose over advertisements which contained information on their clinics.
Ms Mulherin said she believed the auditors had ‘erred in law’ by relying on PRA guidelines rather than actual regulations, which established the legal basis for the allowance, and she had received the opinion of senior counsel that supported her position.
The former TD said she had made a formal complaint to the Ceann Comhairle about the need to correct the guidelines. Mr Buttimer said his issue related to vouched advertisements that were deemed to be partly inadmissible as they included his clinic times.
Ms Kelleher acknowledged she had made two small errors in filing her expenses claim. Mr Farrell claimed some of his expenses were disallowed because invoices for legitimate claims issued at the end of 2016 were paid in full in early 2017. He expressed ‘disappointment’ that legitimate expenses incurred in the course of his duties as a member of the Dáil were disallowed ‘because the audit guidelines do not allow for customer credit periods’.
The audit said the other 16 members were able to show receipts and supporting documentation to validate amounts paid.
They were TDs: Finian McGrath (Ind), Clare Daly (I4C), Noel Rock (FG), Niall Collins (FF), Kate O’Connell (FG), Danny Healy-Rae (Ind), Seán Fleming (FF), Simon Coveney (FG), Martin Ferris (SF), Martin Kenny (SF), Michael Moynihan (FF), Michael Lowry (Ind), Michael Collins (Ind) and Tom Neville (FG), as well as senators Rónán Mullen (Ind) and Catherine Ardagh (FF).
At least 10% of members of the Houses of the Oireachtas, which consist of 158 TDs and 60 senators, are chosen on a random basis each year for audit. All parliamentarians who receive vouched amounts are required to hold their receipts and supporting documents for five years.
TDs are entitled to a vouched maximum allowance of €20,350 per annum, while the PRA for ministers or ministers of state is €16,000, and €12,225 for senators.
Politicians who spend less than the allowance must return any unspent monies. A total of 47 Oireacthas members repaid €156,531 voluntarily last year, while 11 opted to waive some or all of their allowance.
Mr Farrell, a Dublin Fingal TD, was previously criticised for making a €15,000 claim for whiplash for neck and shoulder pains he claimed he suffered for up to 18 months, following what a judge said were ‘minor injuries’ sustained in a collision with a van.
During court proceedings last year, in which he was awarded €2,500 in damages, the court was shown photos of Mr Farrell at the top of a ladder with an election poster four months after the accident.
Ms Mulherin, a former TD for Mayo, paid €3,295 to the Oireachtas in 2015 after it emerged she had made a large number of calls to Kenya from her Dáil office.
Senator said auditors erred
22 politicians checked in audit