TDs and Senators should not provide pre-paid Oireachtas envelopes or other facilities to candidates at the forthcoming local and European elections, the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) said today.
It said that passing on envelopes to candiates "is entirely inappropriate" given that they are provided at public expense to assist TDs and Senators in their roles as public representatives.
Members of the Oireachtas are currently granted a wide range of facilities and allowances. The grant of free postal facilities, for example, amounts to €1,750 pre-paid envelopes per month per member. The total cost to the tax payer is estimated to be €2.7 million per annum for postal charges and envelopes.
The Commission said today it regretted the decision by the Committees on Procedure and Privileges of Dáil Éireann and of Seanad Éireann not to recommend that Oireachtas envelopes be bar-coded so that they can be traced back to those they are issued too in order to find out whether Members are using uch facilities inappropriately.
Sipo said that in situations where envelopes are used by candidates, they should be regarded as an election expense and should be seen as a donation from the Member who provides them.
It also advised that if such 'donations' exceed €635 in value they must be disclosed on the candidate's Donation Statement.
The Standards in Public Office Commission is an independent body established in December 2001 by the Standards in Public Office Act 2001.
Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said today he would be “issuing a diktat” on the matter.
