THEY'RE taking post-work pints to a whole new level in the Dáil.
An unnamed Irish TD ran up a bar tab of €1,200 in Dáil Eireann’s in-house bar during the months of July and August, a period in which the Dáil only sat for eight days.
The figures which were released to The Sunday Times under freedom of information legislation also revealed that €31,000 was owed to the Oireachtas at the end of August from food and drink served in the Dáil. €950 was from politicians who lost their seats in the 2016 General Election and €22,000 that had been unpaid for two months.
The report suggests that some 52 TD’s had individual bar tabs ranging in amounts from €5 to €1,536.40.
Furthermore, €5,500 in unpaid bills, some of which were owed since the year 2000, was written off during the summer due to there being “no realistic prospect” of recovering the money.
Some of that debt stretched back over 15 years.
A spokesperson for the Oireachtas told The Sunday Times that they are considering implementing changes to the current system in order to combat the rising problem:
“Changes to the current credit arrangements are being contemplated.
"Proposals will be brought to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission for consideration in due course.”
