Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I found it odd. As I already have reached my 120 days of attendance, can I simply stay at home? That system does not work and I can understand the reason Deputies from outside Dublin would be frustrated with it as well, because it is unfair to them. While people expect Members to come in here to legislate and create laws for the land, they also want them to prove they are coming to work. It seems somewhat bizarre and I believe there is a better and fairer way of doing it that would protect Members' reputations. If it does not have the risk mentioned by Mr. Coughlan, it would be a good thing.

I wish to turn to some specifics regarding the expenses that Members can claim. I will look at my own as a Deputy, because I am trying to understand them myself. Deputies have the vouched €25,000 amount. This gets paid as a fixed amount every month to each Deputy. Deputies must then keep their own accounts and at the end of the year, one returns the amount one has not spent, if one has not spent it all. I understand a random selection of accounts then is undertaken-----