Presidential spending ‘showboating’ condemned by Irish government ministers
Two Irish government ministers have accused some rival politicians of “showboating” over the questioning of presidential spending in the midst of an election campaign.
Health Minister Simon Harris said he believed there was an attempt by some who were not supporting President Michael D Higgins’ second bid for the office of president to try to suggest there was something “inappropriate, improper or unexplained” about the spending.
An examination into the expenditure of the Office of the President was held by a parliamentary committee on Tuesday.
Members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) heard that an allowance of up to 317,000 euro a year has been paid to each president since 1998 that is not audited, taxed or scrutinised.
The allowance is paid on top of the 249,000 euro a year salary paid to the President.
Mr Harris said: “The showboating that we see going on by some on the PAC is growing a little weary.”
The Health Minister made the comments alongside housing minster Eoghan Murphy at the launch of the Government’s latest strategy to target homelessness.
Both Mr Harris and Mr Murphy questioned the timing of the probe.
Mr Murphy said the presidential campaign was an important part of Ireland’s democracy and it should be about vision and values.
“We don’t want the opposition or other people trying to reduce it to a debate about who will stay in the cheapest hotel,” Mr Murphy said.
The ministers said people were potentially trying to “damage the incumbent” and use parliament to do so.
Mr Harris said he believed the electorate would see right through any attempt to link President Higgins to spending.
The decision to examine presidential expenses was made after questions were raised over the summer over claims of extravagant spending by the office including expensive hotel suites on State visits.
The political ramifications of examining the president’s expenditure so close to the election on October 26 were brought into question by the State’s top civil servant Martin Fraser during the meeting.
Mr Fraser cited the constitution, which states the president is not answerable to either house of the Oireachtas or any court for the exercise of his office.
But some members of the committee argued the office of the president should be held to the same standard as other institutions.
The expenditure of the president’s office is 3.2 million euro per year, it is closer to 8.2 million euro when operational and other costs are considered.
