In the past 18 months, TDs and Senators have been eligible to recoup over €35,000 in costs for high-quality mobile phones, earbuds, and other tech accessories. This comes as part of an allowance offered by the Houses of the Oireachtas, allowing politicians to recoup up to €750 every 18 months on a new device, totalling €35,153.
Reviewing the invoices reveals that, since the start of 2023, exactly half of the 54 submitted claim forms were for the full available allowance. One such claim came courtesy of Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, made just before she was appointed as a minister of state, in which she recouped a €680 expenditure. The TD for Fine Gael’s invoice evidenced the purchasing of an iPhone 14 at a one-time cost of €379.99, together with a set of ivory Powerbeats Pro True Wireless Earbuds, priced at €299.95.
In January this year, Fianna Fáil Senator Lisa Chambers paid €1,449 for an iPhone 15 Pro Max with a capacity of 256GB. Although, due to the €750 cap per member, only half of it was reimbursable by the Oireachtas, according to receipts obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
In contrast, last July, Fine Gael Senator, now MEP, Regina Doherty, submitted a claim totalling €828.99. The eligible amount for reimbursement was €750. The funds accounted for the €529.99 price tag of an iPhone 14 Plus, a monthly insurance plan worth €12.99, and an Apple AirPod set costing €299.
Former justice minister, Charlie Flanagan, managed to get €750 refunded of the €905 he had spent on a new device in April of the previous year. The claim form he submitted, along with the invoice, indicated the purchase of an iPhone 14 priced at €869.99, and an Otterbox case, renowned for its durability, setting the Fine Gael TD back €34.90.
Though Apple products were a favoured choice amongst Oireachtas members, there were others who preferred alternative brands. Emer Higgins of Fine Gael, now a junior minister, lodged an expense claim of €750 for a Samsung S22 priced at €977.99, which was accompanied by a casing and screen guard.
Fianna Fáil’s John McGuinness made one of the costliest acquisitions with a spend of €1,619 for a 512GB iPhone 15 Pro. This purchase was made from Harvey Norman, but Mr McGuinness’s claim was limited to €750 due to the Oireachtas allowance condition.
Records show one device was procured from a merchant in Ho Chi Minh City. Independent TD Denis Naughten bought an iPhone 14 in a midnight-style edition from a Vietnamese supplier for 18.97 million dong, equating to €755.76 at the time.
Not all members of Oireachtas were inclined towards premium phones, with one TD purchasing a pre-owned mobile for €245. Michael Creed, a past minister for Fine Gael, bought this second-hand iPhone 8, complete with a five-month warranty, last May.
It should be noted that the €750 phone payment is a distinct expense from the public representation allowance. The latter is an annual payment of €20,350 for TDs and €12,225 for Senators, covering a broad spectrum of costs including office expenses, additional telephony, room hire, newsletters, and numerous other expenditures.