Wexford TDs claim €54,016 in expenses in first four months

County Wexford's five TDs have claimed an incredible €54,016 in the first four months of the 31st Dail. Fine Gael TD Liam Twomey claimed the largest expenses at €19,683. His Fine Gael colleague and Minister for State Paul Kehoe claimed €6,666. Fianna Fail TD John Browne claimed €14,666, while Labour TD and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin claimed €4000. Independent TD Mick Wallace claimed €9000 in expenses.

TDs currently earn over €90,000 a year but are entitled to claim expenses for rent of public offices, improvements to these offices, accommodation, purchase of stationary, telephone calls, advertising and travel expenses. They may also claim travel expenses for attending conferences relating to their duties. In order to qualify for these perks, they must attend the Dail for 120 days annually.

Deputy Twomeys lavish expenses means that he earned over fifty thousand in the first four months of his term. That roughly works out as the same amount earned by twelve people on the minimum wage. In a time when the government are proposing placing a €200 flat household tax on old age pensioners, TDs are earning the weekly wages equivalent to what fifteen OAPs get. In a time when the fuel allowance is to be cut, wealthy TDs are freely allowed to claim expenses for their telephone calls and stationary.

Isn’t it time that Fine Gael and Labour honoured their pre election promises to end political cronyism by slashing these expenses and reducing the wages of TDs?