Martin McAleese (Independent)

Amendment No. 29 essentially relates to the application of Part IX to Independent and non-party Members of Dáil and Seanad Éireann. There should be no such thing as unvouched expenses or allowances. All such expenses and allowances should be fully vouched and justified. Allowances should only be expended for the purposes for which they are intended or in the course of the work of those who receive them. This is a fundamental principle and it should apply to all parliamentary allowances, without exception. Some categories of allowances and expenses are already administered on a vouched or verified basis. Any category which is unvouched should be subject to the same requirements, that is, all receipts and supporting documentation should be retained for five years and should be subject to audit. I can think of no other sector in which unvouched expenses are allowed. The sooner both Houses of the Oireachtas move towards a system of fully vouched expenses with absolutely no exceptions, the sooner they will enjoy greater credibility in the eyes of both taxpayers and members of the public at large.