Drink-drive shame TD’S €7k travel claim during his 3-month roads ban Cowen billed taxpayers for expenses
€2,388 €400 €200 LEO VOWS TO CLAMPDOWN ON BANK PROFITS
The Agriculture Minister has been in the eye of a storm since it emerged he was disqualified for driving while over the limit and on a provisional licence.
And the Irish Sunday Mirror can reveal that on top of concealing the ban from party chiefs, he also billed taxpayers for the maximum travel allowance of €2,388.75 per month.
The Offaly-based Fianna Fail TD claimed the full travel and accommodation allowance from September 29 to December 22, 2016 – amounting to €7,166.25.
A monthly return train ticket from his home town of Clara to Heuston Station in Dublin, just a short hop from Dail Eireann, was priced at around €400 at the time.
Yet when asked by this newspaper why the claim when he was not driving was for the same amount as when he was on the road, Mr Cowen failed to comment.
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He also failed to reply to our query asking if he was willing to repay the money.
Minister Cowen was fined €200 and disqualified from driving after being stopped at a Garda checkpoint on his way home from the All-ireland final on September 18, 2016.
But although his mode of transport changed, this was not reflected in his travel expenses.
Oireachtas records show the Cabinet minister claimed the optimum €2,388.75 in travel and accommodation expenses for every month of 2016 and into 2017.
From March 30 to December 22, 2016, Mr Cowen claimed TAA perks totalling €24,216.98, including an additional €329.48 on top of the monthly maximum.
TAA covers the costs associated with travel to and from Leinster House, overnights and, for TDS only, other travel expenses including constituency travel.
Mr Cowen said sorry for his drinkdriving in the Dail on Tuesday.
The Taoiseach admitted he was less than happy to learn of it and labelled it a “serious lapse of judgment”.
news@irishmirror.ie mortgage interest rates from customers who received pandemic payment breaks.
Mr Varadkar said: “I don’t fully trust what they [banks] say [unless they prove it].”
The Tanaiste added they “have form” for misleading the public and pledged to meet with the CEOS of the major banks to clarify the issue.
Mr Varadkar also confirmed to RTE One show The Business that Ireland’s wage subsidy scheme will continue past its current deadline of
TD in the Dail on Tuesday
August 10. And he added the July stimulus will be worth around €2.8billion.
Asked if that was enough, Mr Varadkar replied: “We’re not going to fire all our bullets at the same time. There will be more in October.”
Leo Varadkar