Politician ordered to clear tab of €1,400 at Dail bar
The mystery TD or senator owes €1,378 to the Dail bar. Picture: Tom Burke
THE mystery politician who owes a bill of almost €1,400 to the Dail bar has been told to pay up.
The TD or senator is the largest single debtor of the bar, which is owed almost €10,000 in total by politicians. He or she has had a running tab for the past three years at least.
The politician had a bar bill of €1,422 in 2008 and a slightly higher bill of €1,641 last year, which had reduced to €1,378 by the end of March this year.
The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, which is responsible for the running of the Dail and Seanad, has refused to disclose the identity of the politician. It does not set any "formal limits" on the amount of credit a TD or senator can claim in the bar or restaurant.
There is also no requirement for TDs and senators to settle their bills within a set time.
Independent Dublin North Central TD Finian McGrath last night said it was time for the unnamed politician to pay up
"I think it's totally unacceptable, particularly in the current economic climate when most of the small businesses we meet are owed money and are not getting paid on time. TDs should lead by example," he said.
Mr McGrath, who last week paid off a €50 "tea-and-scones" bill for schoolchildren who were visiting the Dail, said most politicians paid on time.
"The vast majority of members usually pay within a week or two because you're sent an invoice fairly quickly. Those that don't are completely out of order as far as I'm concerned," he said.
According to a Freedom of Information request, other TDs and senators have run up bar debts ranging from as little as €3.45 to €569 since the start of the year. In total, 60 TDs and senators have debts at the Dail bar, compared with 42 in 2007 and 45 in 2008 and 2009.
An Oireachtas Commission spokesman said that unpaid bills were dealt with on a case-by-case basis. But he pointed out that the bills included soft drinks, sandwiches and confectionery sold in the Dail bar as well as alcoholic drinks.
Settled
"The majority of outstanding bills are settled in full at the end of each calendar month," he said.
There are two bars in the Dail, separated by a wall. One is a private bar for TDs and senators, while the other is a public bar which politicians use to entertain guests and visitors.
Fianna Fail assistant chief whip John Cregan said he believed some of the bills were related to entertaining visitors to the Dail.
"Many people would bring school tours into the public bar and they would treat them to a soft drink or a snack," he said.
According to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, there are approximately 90,000 visitors to Leinster House each year.
- Michael Brennan
Irish Independent
