A total of almost €1,500 is owed to the Dáil bar by former private members of Leinster House. This figure includes one debt totalling €613.65 and another of €261.45.
A Freedom of Information request covering the period before the 2011 Irish General Election, and one week after the first sitting of the 31st Dáil revealed these figures. Eleven other former ministers paid their tab which totalled a little over €1,650. One former minister who paid their tab owed €765.45 while another owed €436.95.
A tab can be set up by private members for use in the Dáil bar and restaurant. This facility is set up for convenience as Leinster House hosts approximately 100,000 guests per year. These guests are hosted by TDs and Senators.
Between 2007 and 2010, it was discovered that the total amount owed to the Dáil bar rose from almost €3,900 to over €7,000. This figure currently stands at €6,810.75. This debt is made up of figures as small as €3.70 to the aforementioned tab of a former minister of €613.65. Currently, 55 members have a tab.
A spokesperson from the Houses of the Oireachtas said that most members pay promptly. “The majority of outstanding bills are settled in full at the end of each calendar month,” he said. However, after the 2010 story, a spokesperson from the Houses of the Oireachtas said that there are no formal limits regarding how much a member can owe.
There is also no timeline in place that a debt must be paid off by. No measure has been put in place despite the investigation in 2010 that revealed one minister had run up a debt of €1,400 over three years.
A spokesperson from the Houses of the Oireachtas refused to single out individuals or comment on the remaining debts.
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