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BreakingNews.ie
7 days ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Former TD and mother of six tells court she is unable to pay €300 rent this week
Former TD Violet Anne Wynne told a court on Friday that she was unable to pay her weekly rent of €300 this week and she and her family are depending on the goodwill of others. The mother of six told Ennis District Court that she is living on 'goodwill from a lot of people' and 'sometimes obviously going to other people who lend money and add on interest'. Advertisement The former Independent TD for Clare was in court after being asked to substantiate her claim with a statement of means that she currently has no income to pay off a residual €6,500 debt to a former constituency office worker, Fiona Smyth, from a €11,500 Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) award made against her. In court on Friday, Judge Alec Gabbett ordered Ms Wynne to pay off the €6,500 debt by instalments of €50 per week. The solicitor for Ms Smyth, Daragh Hassett, cross-examined Ms Wynne in the witness box on her statement on means provided to the court. After examining the statement of means, Mr Hassett said to Ms Wynne: 'It is costing €895 per week for you and your partner to run your household, and your weekly income is €500, so you have a net loss of €395. How do you live?' Advertisement In response, Ms Wynne said: 'Family. Good will from a lot of people who have been very understanding about my partner's condition and the fact that we are facing very unprecedented circumstances." Ms Wynne said her partner, John Mountaine, is self-employed but has been unable to work since mid-May due to suffering epileptic seizures four times a day. Ms Wynne said she has received loans from family, 'and they are of the opinion that I am not able to pay back the money that they have provided to me and family for the likes of shopping, clothes and stuff like that for my children'. Mr Hassett said: 'For example, you told us 'next week, it is going to cost us €895 to keep the ship afloat with only €500 coming in', so where do you find the money?" Advertisement In reply, Ms Wynne said: 'We don't. We get it in goodwill from the family, or we are not able to make those payments.' Mr Hassett asked: 'Are you paying your rent?' In reply, Ms Wynne said: 'Currently, at the moment, not this week, no. …We are living day by day and week by week.' Mr Hassett told Judge Gabbett 'that there was scant detail' in the information provided, 'and Ms Wynne's story doesn't make any sense,' and asked Judge Gabbett to make the appropriate order for the repayment of the debt. Advertisement Judge Gabbett told Ms Wynne: 'I need you to be more forthcoming. There is a serious deficit of information here. There may be a cogent explanation for some of this, but in the absence of paper, it is problematic.' Ms Wynne said: 'It is not a case that I have withheld information.' In reply, Judge Gabbett said: 'I don't want a patchwork quilt of information. I want a full story. I am not fully informed.' Judge Gabbett said that if the debt is not paid, it is a criminal offence, 'and that is quite serious for someone like you, a former member of the Dáil'. Advertisement Ms Wynne said that with her partner being 'severely ill' and having six children to care for, 'I am unable to work and he is unable to work'. Asked by Judge Gabbett why does Mr Mountaine not claim disability benefit, Mr Wynne said: 'He has no GP at the moment because we went homeless during the election years. That is two years ago, and we haven't been able to get a GP since.' Ms Wynne said disability benefit for her partner is something she will look into. Judge Gabbett also told Ms Wynne that he needs a letter from the Clerk of the Dáil telling about how much she is entitled to in a TD termination payment. He said: 'There has to be a paper trail." Ms Wynne said: 'I got two payments in one lump in a termination payment and I paid €5,000 [to Ms Smyth] from that.' Election 2024 Election 2024: Full list of TDs who lost their sea... Read More Asked how much she did receive in her TD termination payment, Ms Wynne said: 'I don't have the details to hand.' Last August, the WRC ordered Ms Wynne to pay the €11,500 after finding that Ms Smyth was unfairly dismissed by Ms Wynne. Ms Wynne – who received a TD's annual salary of €113,679 – lost her seat in the November general election in Clare, receiving only 310 first preference votes. Her vote collapsed from the 2020 general election when she topped the poll as a Sinn Féin candidate. Judge Gabbett adjourned the case to September 19th.
Irish Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Ex-TD Violet-Anne Wynne says she cannot pay rent and is depending on goodwill
Former independent Clare TD Violet-Anne Wynne told a court on Friday she was not able to pay her weekly rent of €300 this week, and that herself and her family are depending on the goodwill of others. At Ennis District Court, Ms Wynne, a mother of six, disclosed that she is living on 'goodwill from a lot of people' and 'sometimes obviously going to other people who lend money and add on interest'. Ms Wynne was in court after being asked to substantiate her claim, with a statement of means, that she currently has no income to pay off a residual €6,500 debt to a former constituency office worker, Fiona Smyth, from a €11,500 Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) award made against her . On Friday, Judge Alec Gabbett ordered Ms Wynne to pay off the €6,500 debt in instalments of €50 per week. Ms Wynne said that her partner, John Mountaine, is self-employed but has been unable to work since mid-May due to suffering epilepsy seizures four times a day. Ms Wynne said she has received loans from family 'and they are of the opinion that I am not able to pay back the money that they have provided to me and family for the likes of shopping, clothes and stuff like that for my children'. Ms Wynne disclosed that household bills total €895 each week but there is only an income of €500, leaving a shortfall every week of €395. Judge Gabbett told Ms Wynne: 'I need you to be more forthcoming. There is a serious deficit of information here. There may be a cogent explanation for some of this but in the absence of paper it is problematic.' Ms Wynne said: 'It is not a case that I have withheld information.' Judge Gabbett said that if the debt is not paid, it is a criminal offence, 'and that is quite serious for someone like you, a former member of the Dáil'. Ms Wynne said that disability benefit for her partner is something she will look into. Judge Gabbett also told Ms Wynne that he needs a letter from the Clerk of the Dáil about how much she is entitled to in a TD termination payment. He said: 'There has to be a paper trail.' Ms Wynne said: 'I got two payments in one lump in a termination payment and I paid €5,000 [to Ms Smyth] from that.' Asked how much she received in her TD termination payment, Ms Wynne said: 'I don't have the details to hand.' Last August, the WRC ordered Ms Wynne to pay the €11,500 after finding that she had unfairly dismissed Ms Smyth. Ms Wynne - who had received a TD's annual salary of €113,679 – lost her seat in Clare in the November general election, where she had stood as an independent candidate, receiving only 310 first preference votes. In the 2020 general election she had topped the poll as a Sinn Féin candidate. Judge Gabbett adjourned the case to September 19th.
