Political parties disclosed donations worth €76,617 last year, the lower figures recorded since the law requiring disclosure was introduced in 1997.
According to new data released by the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) today, political parties received over €13.6 million in state funding for 2009.
The money was paid to parties under the electoral acts and under the Party Leaders allowance legislation.
The five main parties - Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Féin and the Green Party - received funding of €5,438,385 under the electoral acts. In addition, the parties, along with the now defunct Progressive Democrats, received €8,164,879 under the Party Leaders Allowance legislation.
According to the figures, Fianna Fáil received over €5.2 million in exchequer funding, comprising of €2.3 million received under the electoral acts and a further €2.9 million under the Party Leaders Allowance legislation.
Fine Gael received a total of €4.4 million in exchequer funding last year, of which €2.9 million was given under the Party Leaders Allowance legislation and €1.5 million under the electoral acts.
The Labour Party was granted total exchequer funding of €2.2 million in 2009, of which €1.5 million were given under the Party Leaders Allowance.
The Green Party was awarded total funding of €739,130 last year while Sinn Féin got €827,719.
Non-party members of Dáil and Seanad Éireann also receive funding under the Party Leaders Allowance legislation in 2009.
The amount payable to each non-party member of Dail was €41,152 while non-party Seanad members got €306,000.
According to Sipo, donations totalling €76,617 were disclosed by political parties last year. This compares to disclosed donations of €96,523 for the calendar year 2008
The €38,000 disclosed by the Green Party and the €24,000 disclosed by Sinn Féin were sums given by elected party members. The Socialist Party received €5,819 from MEP Joe Higgins.
In addition, the Christian Solidarity Party received a donation, in the nature of a bequest, of €8,709.50.
The maximum donation which a political party may accept is €6,348.69 under current legislation.
