No election envelopes for candidates

No free envelopes for election candidates


Áine Ryan

FIANNA FÁIL’S Director of Elections, Mr Denis Gallagher, has said that Oireachtas stationery allowances must not be abused by candidates in the upcoming elections.
Last week, the State ethics watchdog – the Standards in Public Office Commission – revealed that some TDs and senators have continued to give pre-paid envelopes to candidates for the upcoming local and European elections. That is despite having been warned not to do so.  
Responding to this, Mr Gallagher told The Mayo News that: “The Fianna  Fáil organisation here in Mayo would not tolerate any abuse of this by any of our own candidates. It certainly wouldn’t be appropriate for any candidate to misuse the system.”
The Fine Gael leader, Deputy Enda Kenny, has also said that there were clear guidelines in place and he expected TDs and senators to adhere to them.
The commission also said last week ‘it was entirely inappropriate for members to pass the envelopes and other Oireachtas facilities on to election candidates – for personal, electoral or party political gain’.
It noted that these allowances were provided at the public expense and at a total annual cost to the taxpayer of approximately €2.7 million.
TDs and senators receive 1,750 pre-paid envelopes per month per member, a facility worth €11,500 to each of the 220 Oireachtas members each year.
The commission has observed it was ‘disappointed’ that both the Dáil and Seanad had rejected a proposal to bar-code envelopes so they could be traced back to the TD or senator to whom they were issued.
It has emerged that the Dáil Committee on Procedure and Privileges had initially agreed to the bar code but the Seanad committee would not agree. Subsequently, the Dáil committee reversed its decision and Oireachtas envelopes are no longer bar-coded.
In a statement issued last week, the commission said its chairman Mr Justice Matthew Smith had written to the Taoiseach to draw to his attention to its concern about the matter.