Not sure if anyone has researched this, but I’d estimate your average TD would clock up 60-70 hours per week .

Any TD worth their salt works even more when not in the D?il.

60/70 hours a week,I used to that in five days,didn’t get the perks or free IPads they do…..wholly disgrace it is,as long as we have people in there 50/60′s in the dail things won’t change, the new breed from all party’s need to be given more of a chance because they the ones most in touch with the people of Ireland

Not only are you talking 60/70 hour weeks during the Dáil term but the work doesn’t stop just because the Dáil is in recess. The recess is a chance for TDs to catch up with their constituency work and prepare for the next round of legislation in the autumn. The idea that it’s 8 weeks of doing absolutely nothing simply isn’t true.

David, they do indeed work a lot of hours and the vast majority of them are trying to produce a better society for everybody. I wonder though how many of those 60/70 hours are spent working and how many are spent trying to get re-elected. Do those hours include party meetings, photo ops, funerals etc. This is just a question.

On top of the 60/70 hours (which is a guess based on what some local councillors I know do per week) – you are essentially ‘on call’ wherever you are (shop, pub, funeral etc..). You probably also get it in the neck from ‘head the balls’ who think you have a personal magic wand to solve their personal problems by putting in the ‘good word’, who will in the same breath say that all politicians are corrupt for doing ‘personal favours’….

I don’t know about the bar Martin but would you expect anybody in business to pay business expenses out of their own salary no matter how well they are paid?

Well I’d at least expect them to make their own way in and out of work! And any expenses they do have would have to be vouched obviously.

I agree with you David. The current system of un-vouched expenses is astounding to say the least. I don’t know one single person in the private sector who doesn’t have to account for their expenses. If I wanted to claim for a hotel room or a meal I had to produce a receipt and if necessary a reason for the expenditure. No receipt or valid reason, no expenses. Simple as that.

On another note, I am quite bemused that at the moment it’s about 50/50 red/green thumbs regarding my comment about business people paying expenses out of their own pockets. If I did this in my last job I would have ended up owing my company money just to pay for the privilege of working for them. I just don’t understand the mentality of people who think that a legitimate expense by TD’s should be paid by the TD themselves out of their own pocket. If the same principle were applied to all sales reps and business’s at 12 noon today the country would grind to a halt. Are people really that mean and tight fisted not to mention envious of other peoples salaries? Judge the performance of the TD not on how much they make but on how much work they do for it.

What kind of local & international business would that be?? Going to a funeral and getting someone a quick passport for their Lanzarote trip perhaps? Should be down to 100 odd TDs akin to Israels parliament, Seanad scrapped, all Town Councils scrapped (not just 20) & reduce county councils to 4 or 5!!

What a stupid comment,and working elsewhere doesn’t take commitment,I wouldnt see my kids or wife when I was working till a sat even after 6,I took 3weeks hols each year half in July and half at Xmas,but didn’t get paid for it,don’t be on here closing they deserve what they taking when they don’t…some change in politics as was promised…just heard Enda say they now sit on a friday,have you ever seen what goes on in there that day,not much,a couple backbenchers laughing and joking at our expense

Yasser the vast majority of our Local and National politicians seek election to provide Service to Communities and Country in which they live. You give yourself the temporary cover of a Palestinian Terrorists name and then describe all of our elected politicians as “freeloaders”. Such a description is crude vulgar and ignorant. Why not have the courage to say the same thing beside your real identity?
I believe we all know the cowardly reason why you wouldn’t.

Hi Mick, How do we know thats your real name either. Id say your another freeloading councillor.

sorry charley thanks to politics and bankers and the recession we will all never get along, because its better for the government, bondholders and the eu to have us attacking each other and bitching about neighbors getting extra dole or child welfare, while we pay billions out to bankers and keep those in the eu who stood by and watched as the recession ripped ireland and other countries to pieces financially. People are happy to assist this government in fact they were elected by the majority with a list of things the people wanted done and while they tried getting done the easy ones when it came to hard things like getting tough with europe and banks and bringing tax cheats and high earners in line well democracy went out the window when berlin and brussels decided the rich and elite must stay untouched

Working mens clubs aren’t subsidised by the taxpayer.