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Donegal senators claim €319,000
02.09.09
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INISHOWEN-based Senator
Cecilia Keaveney has claimed the highest expenses
among Donegal's three Seanad members who, between
them, received nearly €319,000 over the last two
years.
New figures show Senator Keaveney took home €122,748
in expenses over two years on top of her basic
Seanad salary of around €70,000 per year.
Her Fianna Fáil colleague, Senator Brian O'Domhnaill
took home €109,428 in expenses since the last Seanad
was formed in July 2007 while Sinn Féin's Senator
Pearse Doherty claimed €86,639 in the same period. |
Some of the expenses,
released under an FOI request to the Irish
Independent, can be accounted for as a result of the
senators' membership of Oireachtas committees.
Senator Keaveney is a member of the Council of
Europe, the Good Friday Agreement Implementation
Committee and the Joint Oireachtas Education and
Science Committee.
Senator O Domhnaill is a member of the Oireachtas
Education and Science committee while Senator
Doherty is a member of the Joint Committee on
European Affairs.
Senators living within 15 miles of the Seanad
receive an untaxed daily allowance of €55. This was
reduced from €61 earlier this month.
Senators living outside Dublin get an overnight
accommodation allowance of €126 a night. This was
cut back from €139. Senators also get a telephone
allowance of €3,750 and receive an annual
miscellaneous expenditure allowance of €4,112 for
which receipts need not be submitted. All three
senators were contacted yesterday by email for a
statement. Senator Keaveney declined to comment
while no reply has, as yet, been received from
Senators O Domhnaill or Doherty. |
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