21 hours ago
Outgoing TDs claimed €750 phone allowance - just weeks from election
Three former high-profile Fine Gael TDs applied for a €750 mobile phone allowance in their final weeks in the Dáil after declaring they would not be seeking reelection, can reveal.
Former senior ministers Charlie Flanagan and Michael Creed, as well as ex-Minister for State Brendan Griffin, all made claims under the Direct Purchase Scheme last November, just ahead of the general election.
And their former party leader, Leo Varadkar, also sought to be reimbursed €750 in mobile costs just days after he stepped down as Taoiseach, and was therefore eligible to avail of the scheme as a backbench TD. Leo Varadkar. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
Under the scheme, TDs and senators can purchase a mobile phone and car kit from a provider of their choice with the option to claim back the cost, up to €750 over an 18-month period.
However, the move by retiring Dáil deputies – all of whom will enjoy lucrative State pensions – to avail of the scheme as they were heading for the exit doors of Leinster House was described as 'shameless' this weekend.
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín called on the former TDs to 'repay what they received immediately'. Peadar Tóibín. Pic: Collins
The Meath West TD told 'Acts like this seriously compromise the moral authority of TDs, especially when it comes to auditing excess across Government.'
A spokesperson for Labour leader Ivana Bacik also said it was 'not an appropriate use of public resources given that the then [Oireachtas] members were retiring'. They added: 'It doesn't look like a mistake, and it's difficult to defend. It should go without saying that this ought not have happened, and it would be advisable that they cover the costs of the devices themselves.'
Figures obtained under Freedom of Information legislation confirm that Mr Flanagan, a former Minister of Justice and Minister for Foreign Affairs, issued a claim on November 6 to be reimbursed under the Direct Purchase Scheme for mobile phone expenditure of €773.89. This was just over a month after the then Laois-Offaly TD announced on September 26 that he would not be contesting the election. Michael Creed. Pic: Sam Boal/
On November 1 – a week before the election was called – former Agriculture Minister Michael Creed issued a claim after he spent €970 on a mobile phone handset and screen protector.
This was just more than a full six months after the ex-Cork NorthWest TD declared he would not be running for the next Dáil.
And the pair's party colleague and former Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin, issued a claim for expenditure of €1,489 under the scheme on November 8, the day the general election was called. Brendan Griffin. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
The former Kerry TD had stated as far back as January 31, 2023, that he intended to quit politics.
Other retiring TDs also benefited from the €750 allowance in the final months of their Dáil careers.
Louth Independent Peter Fitzpatrick – who announced his intention not to seek re-election on August 30 last year – issued a claim on October 21 after providing a receipt for €767.99 expenditure under the scheme. Leo Varadkar. Pic: Leah Farrell/
On July 8, as he was readjusting to life on the backbenches, former Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar issued a claim for €750. Eight days later – on July 16 – Mr Varadkar confirmed his intention to quit politics altogether.
His former deputy party leader and ex-Housing, Foreign Affairs and Enterprise Minister, Simon Coveney, issued a claim of €299.89 for a handset on April 12, 2024.
The then Cork South Central TD officially called time on his political career three months later, on July 10.
Chartered accountant and political expenses campaigner Enid O'Dowd said the actions of retiring TDs who claimed the taxpayer-funded perk just weeks before they exited the Dáil 'may be technically legal, but it is shameless'.
'It is also unnecessary. Politicians get substantial goodbye money when they leave, significant payments, and ample pensions; they do not need an allowance to get a mobile phone, something everyone else manages to acquire without an allowance.'
Ms O'Dowd said that, as 'significant public figures, they should be setting a much better example'.
She added: 'How can politicians have the moral authority to deal with issues like the bicycle shed when they set this sort of example? It compromises their authority when dealing with overspending and un-necessary perks in other organisations.'
In response to our Freedom of Information request, Paul Moore of the Oireachtas One Stop Shop which co-ordinates TDs and senators' salaries, staffing, allowances and audit procedures, confirmed the total cost of the Direct Purchase Scheme between June 2024 and April 2025 was €30,713.04.
The Direct Purchase Scheme is just one of the many perks and expenses that TDs are entitled to claim on top of their basic €115,953 salary. Senators, who are paid €79,614 for what is essentially a part-time role, are also entitled to claim back mobile phone expenditure under the scheme. However, senior cabinet ministers who earn a basic salary of just over €210,000 and junior ministers – who are paid €162,799 – are not eligible.
Politicians clawing back their mobile costs must 'certify that the expenses claimed have been actually and necessarily incurred by me in relation to my membership of Dáil Eireann and Seanad Eireann' on the Oireachtas claim form.
A total of 33 TDs and 19 senators applied for the €750 allowance during the period from June 26 last year until April 2.
Defending his decision to avail of the €750 perk just weeks before he departed the Dáil, Brendan Griffin told 'My work phone broke when I was moving out the boxes and files from my office in Leinster House. My work didn't stop then; we had two further months of work in my office, concluding live cases and files for constituents and community groups right into the new year.'
Charlie Flanagan said he 'spoke to the authorities before and got the green light'.
Leo Varadkar said: 'I needed a new phone to continue my work as a TD for so long as I was one. I had to return all my government devices to the Department of the Taoiseach.'
Peter Fitzpatrick said: 'Well, I was due a new mobile phone so I just applied for it.'
Former ministers Creed and Coveney did not reply to requests for comment.
An Oireachtas spokesperson said all claims under the scheme are 'subject to an application with receipts and proof of expenditure (by credit card receipt, extract from bank statement or bank processed cheque) for all the expenditure incurred. Proof of purchase and payment should confirm that the purchase and payment was made by the Member'.
