GREEN PARTY leader John Gormley has said that his expenses are among the lowest of all TDs in Dáil Eireann and are substantially lower than those of other Deputies in his constituency.
Mr Gormley also said there was nothing unusual about him working on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve in Leinster House.
He claimed “turning-up” expenses for both dates in 1997.
The Minister for the Environment was responding to an article in The Irish Timesyesterday about a complaint made by member of the public about Mr Gormley's expenses, which amounted to a total of €200,000 over 12 years.
The Oireachtas turned down a request for an investigation by James Casey on the grounds that Mr Gormley had observed all legal requirements.
Mr Gormley said yesterday that the issue had been turned on its head because an individual had made a complaint that was found to be without foundation and yet it appeared in a newspaper.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Today with Pat Kenny, he said that if one looked at a "league table" his expenses were among the lowest in the Dáil.
“Look at my expenses. Compare my expenses to those of my constituency colleagues. It averages out at around €18,000 per annum. That is substantially lower than anybody else,” he said.
Since he became a Government Minister in 2007, Mr Gormley’s expenses have been subject to a different system to backbenchers, and therefore they cannot be directly compared to the expenses of his constituency colleagues.
In 2009, total expenses paid to the other three Deputies in Dublin South East were: Chris Andrews (Fianna Fail) €26,544; Lucinda Creighton (Fine Gael) €26,371; and Ruairí Quinn (Labour) €18,641.
The Dublin TDs who claimed the highest expenses in 2009 were Tom Kitt (Fianna Fáil) €35,877; Michael Woods (Fianna Fáil); 32,025; Sean Ardagh (Fianna Fáil) €31,052; and Brian Hayes (Fine Gael) €31,020.
The average expenses claimed by the 46 Dublin Deputies last year was €18,500.
Documents released to Mr Casey under the Freedom of Information Act showed Mr Gormley had received “turning-up” expenses to Leinster House for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in 1997, the last year for which members were required to specify the exact dates of attendance.
Leinster House is open on both days but closes early, at about 3pm.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Mr Gormley said there was nothing out of the ordinary about Mr Gormley working on those dates and that many Dublin-based Oireachtas members have worked on one or both of those days.
When asked on RTÉ about claiming the “turning-up allowance” for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, Mr Gormley said: “I work all the time. I’m not boasting by saying that. That’s a fact.”
Mr Gormley added that he had “absolutely nothing to hide.”
“It’s remarkable that a complaint that has been found to be without foundation appears in a newspaper,” he said.
Later Mr Gormley said: “I welcome that the scrutiny of expenses should appear in an open and transparent manner.
“I also welcome the fact that in this instance that there was no basis for the complaint found in any aspect of my expenses over a 12-year period.”
