TDs To Clock In For Expenses

New proposals for TD expenses may see politicians clocking in at the Daíl in order to claim their travel expenses it has emerged.

Under the proposals put forward today, TDs will have to verify their attendance for 80% of sitting days, which works out at 120 days for a TD each year to qualify for a full allowance, which could involve the introduction of swipe cards or electronic fobs.

The current raft of allowances payable to members of the Oireachtas each year, such as mileage, overnight accommodation, office and constituency expenses, will be replaced by a single parliamentary allowance made up of just two payments: one for travel and accommodation and another called the "public representative allowance".

The expenses will be on top of their basic pay, which starts at €92,672 for new TDs.

The reforms are aimed at "increasing the transparency of the allowances system", the Department of Finance said, and the amounts paid to TDs will be published each month.

A spokesman from the department said: "The new system will replace 40 years of legislation with a single, transparent and verifiable parliamentary allowance system to cover the parliamentary and representation costs of Deputies, Senators and Ministers. This major reform is in addition to the substantial reductions imposed on Oireachtas members’ expenses in 2009."

Todays announcement also stipulated that Oireachtas members who are former office-holders will see their pensions reduced by 25% and from the start of the next Dáil and Seanad no serving member will be eligible to simultaneously receive a ministerial pension.

Members will also no longer qualify for long service increments and those currently in receipt of them will forfeit them from the start of the next Dáil and Seanad, the department said.

(DW/GK)