Inquiry into €200,000 Gormley expenses Refused

[ang]

This by the party of principle.

A constituent of John Gormley has made a formal complaint over Mr Gormleys expenses.

Unfortunately Mr James Casey is not getting too far indeed Mr Casey is complaining about mostly expenses claimed by Mr Gormley in the past 10 years before he became a minister.

Mr Casey has been informed that Mr Gormley has claimed his expenses under all legal requirements under the expenses legislation.


The core complaint involved:

The payment of €143,151 in “turning-up” expenses to the Green TD during the period from 1997 to 2007. Days claimed for included Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
The payment of €37,732 for setting up and operating a constituency office at Fownes Street in Dublin’s Temple Bar.
€12,638 for a report from polling company Red C in 2009.
Almost €9,000 for a redesign of Mr Gormley’s web page.
Printing bills of €3,800 in 2009.
In his complaint to the Oireachtas, Mr Casey asked how Mr Gormley could have claimed the daily “turning-up” allowance, designed to cover travel costs, when he cycled to the Dáil from his nearby home.

He also queried the payment of expenses to the Green TD for a constituency office, at the address of the former Green Party headquarters in Fownes Street, saying Mr Gormley had never alerted his constituents to the fact that his office was in operation.


http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0826/1224277612360.html?sms_ss=twitter

[C. Flower]

This by the party of principle.

A constituent of John Gormley has made a formal complaint over Mr Gormleys expenses.

Unfortunately Mr James Casey is not getting too far indeed Mr Casey is complaining about mostly expenses claimed by Mr Gormley in the past 10 years before he became a minister.

Mr Casey has been informed that Mr Gormley has claimed his expenses under all legal requirements under the expenses legislation.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0826/1224277612360.html?sms_ss=twitter


If he still thinks otherwise, he will have to go to the Gardai. Who will send him back to the Dail, presumably.

I was intrigued by the idea that a Constituency Office could be run from Government buildings. Certainly, I thought TDs are not supposed to use official post for their constituency party mail.


In further correspondence, Mr Casey asked the Houses of the Oireachtas to examine Mr Gormley’s claim for a constituency office between 2004 and the time he became a member of the Government when the office moved to his department.

You could say it is a money saving idea, rather than having two offices, but where if anywhere is the line drawn between electioneering and the job of governing?

[simonj]

It really is disturbing, there neds to be transparency in public office, and consequences for those who break the rules.
It was glossed over on todays Pat Kenny show

I ran into the same sort of problem under the FoI whan I tried to ask about Bev Flynns expenses on the Western Health Board

I was told I'd have to pay 700 euro in admin expenses.

[Fing Fers]

It really is disturbing, there neds to be transparency in public office, and consequences for those who break the rules.
It was glossed over on todays Pat Kenny show

I ran into the same sort of problem under the FoI whan I tried to ask about Bev Flynns expenses on the Western Health Board

I was told I'd have to pay 700 euro in admin expenses.

Did Cowen manage to close the FOI book? I remember him complaining that FOI requests take up too much civil servant time.

[Slim Buddha]

Did Cowen manage to close the FOI book? I remember him complaining that FOI requests take up too much civil servant time.

Time that could be better spent having civil servants chase phantom applications for medical cards, cattle headage grants or disability benefit scribbled by TDs on beermats in one of their useless "clinics" to give the impression that the TD is "looking after" the witless idiot who asked him.

[Fing Fers]

Time that could be better spent having civil servants chase phantom applications for medical cards, cattle headage grants or disability benefit scribbled by TDs on beermats in one of their useless "clinics" to give the impression that the TD is "looking after" the witless idiot who asked him.

With all the civil servants surly a few could be spared to work full time on FOI requests. I'm sure their is enough demand for it. Amazing how the poster above was quoted a cost of 700 euro when asking for info on how his / her money is being spent.

Government spends our money on themselves, if anyone wants to know how much has been spent and whos spending it, that info comes at a cost?