TDs and senators have access to free printing in the Oireachtas for all material relating to their parliamentary work.
Such items controversially include Christmas cards, sympathy cards and calendars - material which I suspect a lot of people would think should be paid for out of the elected representatives' own pockets.
However, it should be stressed that such cards and calendars are perfectly allowable so long as they contain contact details for the TD or senator.
The following is an adapted version of a piece I wrote recently for The Sunday Times....
The perk of a free printing facility for TDs and
senators has cost taxpayers almost €1m over the lifetime of the current Dáil.
A breakdown of the use of free service shows that 236
elected representatives have had more than 45 million items printed in the past
four years at a total cost of €978,877.
While the majority of orders relate to newsletters and
headed notepaper, they also include items such as Christmas cards, sympathy
cards and calendars.
The single biggest user of the free facility is independent
TD Terence Flanagan who has had almost 1.2 million items printed in the past
four years at a cost of €22,573.
The average value of orders by all TDs and senators is
just under €4,150.
Flanagan, who represents the Dublin North-East
constituency which had an electorate of 58,542 at the last general election in
2011, has ordered print runs of 75,000 on two occasions for newsletters.
He explained the size of the order was due to the fact
that boundary changes meant his new enlarged constituency of Dublin Bay North
had a population of 147,000.
“I try to issue at least four or five news bulletins
to each house every year outlining my Dáil work on national and local issues of
concern and other general information,” said Flanagan. “When I first stood for
election I promised my constituents that I would always be available and keep
in touch with them. I am simply trying to keep my promise.”
The former Fine Gael TD said it was important to
communicate with voters on a regular basis “rather than just at election time.”
Flanagan also had the largest single order for
Christmas cards last year – requesting 4,000 cards.
The second biggest user of the printing facility is
Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald who has ordered almost 800,000 items
costing €16,229. Other big users of the service are Labour TD, Seán Kenny
(€15,890), Labour junior minister, Aodhán Ó Riordáin (€15,172) and Fine Gael
deputy, Derek Keating (€14,877).
It allows material for communicating with constituents
on local or general public interest issues, Government policies and
legislation, including newsletters, flyers, compliment slips, business and
Christmas cards.
TDs and senators cannot avail of the service for
corporate material such as fundraising. The use of the printing facility is
also prohibited for overt electioneering material or content which promotes a
private enterprise as well as material which is designed to influence how to
vote in a referendum. There are no specific limits, although print runs of more
than 40,000 can only be carried out by special arrangement.
“The principle is that parliamentarians should be able
to tell those they represent what they are achieving on behalf of those
constituents. And printed bulletins, newsletters and the like remain one of the
most effective ways of doing just that,” said the spokesperson. She added that
all types of cards including Christmas cards must contain contact details for
the TD or senator.
Figures show that Oireachtas members have ordered
348,000 free Christmas cards over the past four years at a cost of €18,817 to
taxpayers.
The biggest user of Christmas cards is Labour TD Joe
Costello who had 34,000 printed over the past four years, including 30,000 in
2011. Costello claimed that he has used the cards to inform constituents about
his clinic times at Christmas but no longer used them for that purpose.
Other large-scale users of Christmas cards over the
period were Labour TD Emmet Stagg (18,000 cards), Fine Gael’s Catherine Byrne
(15,500) and her party colleague, Michelle Mulherrin, (12,950). However, less
than half of all Oireachtas members make use of the free Christmas cards.bleau
Labour senator John Whelan has called for the
withdrawal of the entitlement to free Christmas cards for elected
representatives, claiming they are a waste of taxpayers’ money.
“It reflects more an attitude of privilege and
entitlement from a political establishment which should be consigned to the
scrap heap,” said Whelan last week.
A total of 31 TDs and senators also ordered a total of
21,260 personalised sympathy cards since the start of the current Dáil.
Asked about the large order, Healy-Rae said there was
he was merely utilising a service which was available and there was “absolutely
nothing wrong with that.”
“It’s easier to place an order for a large amount
rather than be coming back repeatedly for smaller print runs. I was being
prudent and they won’t go to waste,” said Healy-Rae.
Personalised calendars have also proven highly popular
in Leinster House with almost 728,000 being ordered by 43 TDs and senators
since 2011.
Fianna Fáil justice spokesperson Niall Collins tops
the list with orders for 127,000 calendars at a cost of just over €3,900. However, Environment Minister Alan Kelly’s
order for 94,000 calendars was the most expensive at €4,640.
Other less commonplace orders were placed by former
junior minister, John Perry for 300 good luck cards, while his constituency
colleague, Fine Gael TD Tony McLouglin requested 500 cards to express
“congratulations.”
