A former Dáil secretary has been awarded €50,000 in compensation for a fall in a TDs office, the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission has been told.
It was also informed of progress in the claim by former Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew who is suing the Oireachtas for damages arising from a fall on the stairs in Leinster House.
At a meeting in Leinster House this week the TDs and senators on the Commission were briefed about a number of legal actions involving the Oireachtas.
One of them was a claim by Joan Blackbyrne who was employed as a secretarial assistant by Independent TD Thomas Pringle from April 11th, 2011 until her dismissal on January 21st, 2012.
According to a document provided to Commission members Ms Blackbyrne had an accident at work on July 21st, 2011, when she tripped over exposed wires in Mr Pringle’s office following the relocation of an office desk and installation of equipment by the Oireachtas IT department.
She subsequently took a personal injuries action claiming soft tissue issue injuries to her left wrist and soft tissue injuries to her left knee along with “a small posterior horn tear in her medial meniscus.”
The State Claims Agency (SCA) dealt with the claim and settled with Ms Blackbyrne for €50,000 plus costs. Mr Pringle personally contributed €15,000 to the settlement.
The legal costs came to more than €27,000 with Ms Blackbryne’s lawyers getting €20,232 while the SCA’s fees came to just over €7,000.
The claim by Ms Gildernew, who lost her Westminster seat in the recent UK general election, which is also being managed by the SCA is still in train.
Ms Gildernew is claiming for a fall on the stairs in Leinster House on January 19th, 2012. She subsequently initiated High Court proceedings.
The latest development in the case is that the SCA has written to Ms Gildernew’s lawyers asking for full particulars in relation to any pre-existing inquires to former MP’s ankle.
Another ongoing case involves the long running battle between former minister Ivor Callely and the Oireachtas authorities.
Mr Callely was suspended from the Seanad in 2010 under the terms of the ethics legislation over revelations about his expenses claims.
On foot of an investigation by a select committee Mr Callelly was suspended from the Seanad for 20 days and his salary was withdrawn for the period. A total of €23,873 was withdrawn to cover salary, pension, PAYE, PRSI and USC.
After a legal action by Mr Callely the High Court quashed the findings of the committee and the money was refunded to him on March 7th, 2011.
However, the select committee appealed the decision to the Supreme Court and won. The result meant that the Oireachtas could seek a return of the money it handed back to Mr Callely. A case may be taken if Mr Callely does not voluntarily return the sum.
The Commission was also informed about the costs involved in a actions initiated by a Mr Daniel Doherty from Donegal in 2007 against a number of people including his local TDs.
The High Court ultimately struck out his claim on the basis that it disclosed “no reasonable cause of action and was prolix, scandalous, vexations and an abuse of process.”
The Oireachtas was awarded its costs which totaled €22,617 but has been unable to recover anything in spite of a court order against Mr Doherty on November 18th of last year ordering him to repay €100 a month.
