niall-collins &laquo; WordPress.com Tag Feed http://en.wordpress.com/tag/niall-collins/ Feed of posts on WordPress.com tagged "niall-collins" Sun, 19 May 2013 19:14:23 +0000 http://en.wordpress.com/tags/ en <![CDATA[What Limerick TDs get paid in salaries and what they claimed so far in expenses in 2011]]> http://karenoconnordesmond.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/159/ Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:26:43 +0000 Karen O' Connor Desmond http://karenoconnordesmond.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/159/ SOME Limerick TDs are claiming an average of €1,000 a week in tax free expenses on top of salaries of more than €90,000, the City Voice can reveal.

The county’s 10 TDs claimed more than €303,980 in expenses in the nine months to September as well as €1.1m in salaries, a total of €1.42m. However the figure for the full year is likely to be much higher as expenses claimed for the last quarter have yet to be published.

Former minister and Fianna Fail TD, Willie O’Dea, is the top claimant in the Limerick City constituency with more than €40,000 in expenses. In the Limerick constituency, Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins also claims more than €40,000 in expenses.

While in Kerry North West Limerick, Labour TD Arthur Spring is highest with more than €36,000 in expenses.

Excluding ministers the lowest claimant is Fine Gael TD and Dail Public Accounts Committee vice chairman Kieran O’ Donnell, who claimed just more than €29,000.

Ministers Michael Noonan, Jimmy Deenihan and Jan O’ Sullivan have relatively modest claims. Minister Noonan claimed just over €12,700 while Minister O’ Sullivan claimed €18,000. Arts Minister Jimmy Deenihan claimed €12,883.
Both cabinet ministers have access to Garda drivers and a state car on official business, while Minister O’Sullivan who is Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs can claim mileage for official travel.

However their salaries are much higher.
Michael Noonan and Jimmy Deenihan have a salary of just under €170,000 each, while Jan O’ Sullivan’s salary is just over €130,000.

Along with generous expenses and salaries, TDs can also claim allowances for various roles. Dan Neville TD will get €9,500 for being a member of the Oireachtas Commission this year.

TDs can also claim a mobile phone allowance for a new mobile phone and car kit every 18 months and Niall Collins’ figure includes €730 under this headings. The two new TDs Arthur Spring and Patrick O’ Donovan are both entitled to claim an €8,000 one off constituency office grant to go towards the cost of setting up a new office in their constituencies. The records show neither deputy has claimed the grant so far.

Along with the generous salaries and expenses regime, Limerick TDs also get an allowance of 1,250 envelopes with free post each month and they are entitled to a Dail secretary and a parliamentary assistant, whose salaries are paid for by the State.

TDs are entitled to a full pension after 20 years service. Recent figures also show that former minister Gerry Collins is receiving a pension of more than €102,000 a year for his time as a TD and cabinet minister.

TDs expenses claims have come down significantly since the introduction of the new parliamentary standard allowance last year. TDs now claim expenses based on the days they turned up for work in the Dail.

All of Limerick’s TDs are paid expenses based on their distance from the Dail. The seven Co Limerick based TDs are in bands six and seven, while the three Limerick West North Kerry TDs are in bands nine and ten, meaning the Kerry TDs get more in mileage. In addition they can also claim for hotels and meals, office expenses, phone bills and overseas travel on official business.

An analysis of the attendance rates of Limerick’s TDs reveals that in all cases deputies had a high rate of attendance.

None of the TDs contacted were available for comment on this story.

Some of the information in this article was released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Published in “The City Voice”, a supplement in the “Limerick Leader” created by the University of Limerick’s current fourth and second year journalism students, on the 9th of December 2011.

http://cityvoice.ie/?p=454

]]> <![CDATA[Another promise bites the dust!]]> http://thepressnet.com/2011/05/05/another-promise-bites-the-dust/ Thu, 05 May 2011 09:30:26 +0000 machholz http://thepressnet.com/2011/05/05/another-promise-bites-the-dust/

By Michael Brennan and Paul Melia

Thursday May 05 2011

 THE Government will only cut the number of sitting TDs by a maximum of 16, in a significant U-turn on a key Fine Gael election promise.

The pledge to reduce the number of TDs by 20 to 146 had been a key part of Fine Gael‘s famous five-point plan, published just three months ago. But there was no such pledge in the Labour Party‘s election manifesto.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan yesterday announced the reduction in the number of TDs would be in line with the requirements of the Constitution. This will make it impossible to cut the number of number of TDs by 20.

The Constitution requires at least one TD per 30,000 population. Figures from the Central Statistics Office show that as of April last year, the population stood at 4,470,700.

This means there must be at least 150 TDs, so the Government can only cut the number by 16 — unless the 2011 census shows a radical change in the population size.

Mr Hogan last night ruled out putting the question to a referendum.

He said: “We believe that by putting a proposal to abolish Seanad Eireann and reducing the number of TDs, we will achieve this 30pc reduction in the number of members in the Oireachtas from the beginning of the 32nd Dail.”

The minister said the Government would set up a Constituency Commission and give it guidance on the maximum and minimum number of TDs it could cut under the Constitution to save an estimated €10m.

Decision

It would then be up to the commission to make the final decision on the number of TDs to cut — and on which constituencies would lose out.

However, the number of TDs cut could be even less than 16 using the “30pc-reduction” target mentioned by Mr Hogan yesterday.

Fine Gael’s ‘Strategy for New Politics’ election document said it would reduce the number of politicians by 35pc — which would have eliminated the jobs of 20 TDs and all 60 senators. The 30pc-reduction target would only allow for the cutting of 12 TDs and 60 senators.

Fianna Fail environment spokesman Niall Collins said it was clear that Fine Gael and Labour could not agree between them what the actual reduction in TDs should be.

“We’ll be keeping an eye on Minister Hogan to see he doesn’t interfere in the independence of the Constituency Commission,” he said.

However, he welcomed plans announced by the Government to introduce legislation requiring all Dail by-elections to be held within six months.

Mr Hogan said it was designed to end “farcical situations”, such as 17-month delay in holding the Donegal South West by-election.

Meanwhile, the spending limits for the presidential election in October are to be cut from €1.3m to €750,000.

Candidates will be able to claim back a maximum of €200,000 in expenses — down from €260,000.

“This allows campaign teams to plan well in advance of the election for a more frugal campaign,” Mr Hogan said.

- Michael Brennan and Paul Melia

Irish Independent

comment:

Well what did I tell you?

These boys don’t give a dam they are enjoying their massive salaries and perks and don’t have to call on you for the next 5 years and by then you will have forgotten all the broken promises because they will arrive at your doorstep with new ones. What a great con job !

At this rate Fine Gael and their Labour support will run out of promises to renege on .I believe we haven’t seen the last of the broken promises ,before long we will see new taxes and more pain as they continue to implement Fianna Fail policies. Still happy you voted in this crowd?

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[Niall Collins, Fianna Fáil Blog, 2 December]

]]> <![CDATA[Seamus Sheahan ]]> http://croom.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/seamus-sheahan/ Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:49:25 +0000 Croom http://croom.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/seamus-sheahan/ Seamus Sheahan

Seamus Sheahan

Seamus Sheahan in the photo pondering his Politicial Future by the River Maigue in Croom.The nominations for the local elections are due and Seamus is hoping that Croom will have another represenative,Croom has only one councillor in 106 years on the Limerick County Council and  that is a long time even in Politics .

Seamus is the Secretary of the Cumann of local Fianna Fail and has been invloved in Politics all of his life.He is a great community activists.He is secretary of the Croom Community County Council and current President of the Croom United A.F.C .Croom Sheltered Housing Committee a member of .Seamus takes great pride in his work as a member of the Croom Senior Citizens Committee for all his life.

It is all change in the Limerick Electoral area for the coming elections as the maps show…

Adare Electoral Area

Adare Electoral Area

Croom is now part of the the redrawn  Adare Electoral Area as are many others …see the previous map

The Old Bruff Electoral Area

It is cetainly all change on Maigueside as the Political Lines on the Limerick County Map have been redrawn.

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