Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

153. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total amounts claimed by each Independent Teachta Dála and Seanadóir under the heading "leader's allowance", or under any subsequent name for this heading since the last general election; the amount of these individual amounts which was vouched and unvouched; if any Members have returned; declined to draw, any of the funding available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36996/15]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Parliamentary Activities Allowance (formerly known as the Party Leader's Allowance) is provided for under the Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Act 1938, amended most recently by the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices)(Amendment) Act 2014.

Under the provisions of the 2014 Act, and with effect from 1 July 2014, the same audit and reporting provisions applicable to Parliamentary Leaders now also apply to Independent Members in receipt of the allowance. For the first time, Independent members must record and account to the Standards in Public Office Commission for expenditure from the allowance.

With regard to returns or 'gifting', it is the policy of my Department not to release personal information of this nature for reasons of confidentiality and privacy when replying to questions in relation to the salaries, pensions or other payments made to individual politicians and other public servants. It is open to the individuals themselves to publicise such information if they so wish.

Details of the payments made in the 31st Dáil to each Independent TD and Senator from 9 March 2011 to end 2013 are contained in my reply to the Deputy on 16 December 2014 under question no. 253 (ref. 48134/14). The amounts paid for the periods 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014 and 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2014 are set out in my reply to the deputy of 19 February 2015 (questions 77-83 inclusive; Ref 7483/15:). The amounts paid for the period 1 January 2015 to end September 2015 are set out in the following table.