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Commission On Standards In Public Office Report For 2002

category national | miscellaneous | news report author Friday June 20, 2003 20:21author by Dorothy Gale

Joe Higgins No Longer On Workers Wage

The Commission On Standards In Public Office Report For 2002 brings up some surprises, one being Joe Higgins only gave €6,000 to the SP in 2002. ( This is what Joe declared to the Commission. It is reported in todays Irish Times.)

It looks as if Joe is no longer restricted to the Average Industrial Wage. This is odd as the SP always makes a big thing of this. In 2001 Joe gave almost 3 times as much to the SP. Now with his much increased salary, Dail expenses, Council salary and expenses , Joe really is rolling in it.
Are the rest of the SP fulltimers are still on the AIW? Not very happy if this is the case I would imagine.

Other interesting things: RYANAIR donates to the PDs. FF had to refund donations to 3 separate companies, they "accidently" accepted amounts over the limit.

Comments (9 of 9)

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clarification
author by for infopublication date Sat Jun 21, 2003 03:30author address author phone

I thinkyou will find that 6,000 euro is the maximum that any individual can donate to a political party.

Obviously the above comments are another attempt at sh*t stirring. Why do you bother making comments like these? What purpose do they serve?

Not Shit Stirring
author by Dorothy Galepublication date Sun Jun 22, 2003 16:01author address author phone

Merely a quest for truth. Why is Joe Higgins no longer on a workers wage?

Other Good Causes
author by Tom Lubypublication date Sun Jun 22, 2003 16:16author address author phone

There are plenty of other good causes that Joe Higgins could have given thousands to and still have retained a workers wage. The fact that he hasnt done this is yet another example of the SPs progression down the slope of Reformism.

That was one of the telling points in the hisory of thw WP, when the TDs stopped donating their salaries to the party. MacGiolla said he eventually stopped doing so because he was the only one still drawing a workers wage.

All That Money
author by Chekapublication date Sun Jun 22, 2003 16:23author address author phone

But Joe still wont buy his round.

Shinners claim to be on such a wage too
author by Januspublication date Sun Jun 22, 2003 16:27author address author phone

I saw that as well and I asked a comrade in Sinn Fein about how they can claim they take the average industrial when they only give 6,000 to the party. He told me that the party TDs get an annual take home pay of 26,000, though they are also entitled to claim the expenses every TD is entitled to in regard to travel and so forth.

They give six grand to the party, the rest is used to employ a full-time party activist in the constituency, benefitting the TD and the party and what's left over (Very little actually when taxes are taken into account) is used for general expenses keeping the constituency machines ticking over and for donations to other republican organisations such as prisoner groups etc.

I have no idea what the sceal is with Joe but I reckon it's probably something similar.

?
author by Hebepublication date Sun Jun 22, 2003 16:49author address author phone

I suspect that what Janus is suggesting might be in breach of the regulations, employing a party worker would be classed as a donation to SF.

Some malicious person might report this to the commission. Can this be clarified?

Eh?
author by Justin Moran - Sinn Féinpublication date Mon Jun 23, 2003 12:08author email maigh_nuad at yahoo dot comauthor address author phone

So it is illegal for a TD to employ an assistant? I look forward to the law on this being highlighted.

Not An Assistant
author by Hebepublication date Mon Jun 23, 2003 12:14author address author phone

But if s/he was working for the party as distinct from acting as an assistant to the TD would there be a problem?

To answer your question
author by Joe Macpublication date Tue Jun 24, 2003 10:28author address author phone

Because of the legislation passed last year the maximum a party can accept in one year from any single donor is €6,000.

Previously the sole SF TD took the industrial wage from his salary and the rest went directly to the party which was then divided up between the party and the local organisation. In the current circumstances SF TDs now have to register as employers and hire local constituency PAs who work on their behalf. The money therefore is not a donation to the party but is a wage paid from employer to employee. They still only take the average industrial wage from the salary of €70,000.

Each party also receives funding from the state depending on their percentage take of the vote at the most recent general election. Party leaders also receive whats called a leaders allowance which I'm sure of the detail.

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