TDs’ greedy cash grab

THE housing crisis is getting worse, there are more people on hospital trolleys than ever before, and Brexit will bring possibly calamitous problems for the economy. So what are TDs and senators worried about? Their expenses.

The Department of Public Expenditure has been asked to examine a proposal that could see Oireachtas members from outside Dublin paid an extra €5,300 in expenses each year, on top of their €14,715 in unvouched and untaxed allowances.

They are seeking parity with the accommodation allowance enjoyed by senior civil servants: €133.73 a night compared with the €98.10 given to TDs and senators.

As the country faces multiple crises, do they have any understanding of the skewed optics of this grubby cash grab?