How Bertie boosted the allowance... for TDs too

The controversial President’s Discretionary Allowance led to raised eyebrows when revealed to the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee this week, with Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry warning it was important that the money be fully accounted for, lest it be seen as a ‘slush fund’. While Government representatives were openly hostile to calls for more transparency over such spending, it emerged that the allowance has been around for 70 years... but grew substantially under Bertie Ahern’s watch.

1938

The allowance dates back to 1938, under the Presidential Establishment Act 1938, and has been available to all presidents in the last 80 years.

1990

Until the election of Mary Robinson, the President’s Discretionary Allowance was a mere £15,000 a year (€19,046).

1991

Bertie Ahern, as Finance Minister, saw through the Presidential Establishment (amendment) Act 1991 which upped the allowance to £100,000 (€126,973). The Act also allowed for any future increases to be done by statutory instrument – or the stroke of a pen – without the need for any more troublesome legislation.

1997

Then, in the wake the election of President Mary McAleese, Bertie, as Taoiseach, was able to quickly increase the fund to £120,000 (€152,368).

1998

A few short months later Bertie signed a new order to increase the fund to £250,000 (€317,000). A month after granting the increased allowance to the President, Bertie distributed a raft of new allowances worth more than €600,000 annually to most TDs. Interestingly, Bertie’s upping of the presidential allowance by two statutory instruments in quick succession immediately preceded the passing of legislation which gave him the power to increase TDs’ allowances at the stoke of a pen. That legislation – the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Act, 1998 – did what it said on the tin.

2018

President Michael D Higgins has become embroiled in a controversy after the fund – which is unaudited – is disclosed at the Public Accounts Committee. President Higgins said it is spent on garden parties and tea parties as well as the hosting of foreign leaders. However, he refused to provide greater detail when specifically requested by the Irish Mail on Sunday this week.