Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 January 2017
729. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the names of the Deputies currently receiving a Leader's allowance payment; the amount of this payment; the party, political or Technical Group each of these Deputies belong to; and if any Deputies have voluntarily surrendered some or all of this payment, in tabular form. [41869/16]
View answerThe Parliamentary Activities Allowance (formerly known as the Party Leader's Allowance) is provided for in the Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Act 1938 as amended, most recently by the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Act, 2014.
The Allowance is paid to the parliamentary leader of a qualifying Party - not to the individual members of a Party - in relation to expenses arising from the parliamentary activities of the Party. Payments are made in respect of members of the Party elected to Dáil Éireann and members elected/nominated to Seanad Éireann at the last preceding general election or a subsequent bye-election or, in the case of Seanad Éireann, nominated to it after the last preceding general election. The legislation also provides that payments may be made to a member of Dáil or Seanad Éireann who is elected other than as a member of a qualifying Party - i.e. an Independent member.
All Independent Deputies are currently in receipt of the Allowance bar one who is yet to claim the allowance. The annual rate of the allowance payable to an Independent Deputy is €37,037. My Department does not keep a record of Groups to which Independent Deputies may be affiliated as this has no bearing on the payment of the Allowance. The legislation provides that each Independent member (and Party leader) must prepare a statement of expenditure for the allowance, to have it audited by an independent auditor and furnish it with the auditor's report to the Standards in Public Office Commission - with any unspent monies being returned to the Exchequer. Therefore, the issue of voluntarily surrendering some or all of the Allowance does not arise.
