Taxpayers' Money Spent on Politicians' Expenses

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Taxpayers,Politicians,Expenses

Taxpayers paid nearly €25,000 for politicians' mobile phones, flagpoles, and even fidget spinners. Despite their high salaries, politicians refused to spend their own money on cheap gadgets. Additionally, over €50,000 was spent on hospitality and entertainment by the Houses of the Oireachtas, including expensive lunches and dinners. Unconventional expenses included €80 for 50 fidget spinners to make the parliament more autism-friendly. The database also reveals spending on flags, whistles, and traditional wallets for presentations, as well as gifts for visiting dignitaries.

Despite being paid a basic salary of €107,376 they were unwilling to put their hands in their pockets for the pound shop gadgets. More than €50,000 was spent on hospitality and entertainment by the Houses of the Oireachtas .

Almost €7,400 was spent on gifts for visiting dignitaries. Among the items purchased were 10 A6 notebooks and pens, both of which include the logo of Dail Eireann, and set the taxpayer back more than €500 in total. There was a €180,000 invoice for furniture and fittings including an outlay for flag poles, with four transactions listed at a total of €10,000.

Other items were purchased for staff or politicians including an expenditure of €2,558 for two “ergonomic specialist chairs” and a bill of €1,557 for “three chairs for the taller person”. There was a bill of €24,400 under what is known as the direct purchase scheme which allows TDs and Senators to buy a new phone every 18 months up to a cost of €750.

There was an invoice of under €62,000 for taxi travel, some of it on trips abroad, but mostly for staff who work in the evening due to late Dail sittings. €10,250 was spent on car hire, almost all of it related to a visit by a delegation from Nepal.

Taxpayers Politicians Expenses Mobile Phones Flagpoles Fidget Spinners Hospitality Entertainment Oireachtas Autism-Friendly Gifts Dignitaries

 

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