IRELAND’S CURRENT and former TDs, Senators and MEPs have declared donations of €378,920 for the 2011 calendar year in documents published this evening by the public donations watchdog.
The Standards in Public Office Commission said almost half of the donations were disclosed by current Senators who were either unsuccessful candidates for last year’s Dáil election, or by former Oireachtas members candidates at the 2011 Presidential election – both of which had been disclosed in previous documents.
Just under €200,000 was donated to candidates, with Labour TDs and Senators disclosing the highest donations by far: its 27 current TDs and Senators disclosed donations totalling €83,517. President Michael D Higgins had already disclosed €121,421.53 in respect of the presidential election.
Fine Gael members disclosed donations worth a total of €56,262, while Fianna Fáil’s members disclosed donations worth a total of €32,860. Sinn Féin members disclosed €8,800 in donations between them.
The recipient of the largest number of donations was independent NUI senator Rónán Mullen, who declared donations of €18,277.96 last year, ahead of Senator David Norris whose donations outside of the presidential election tallied €17,929.98.
Independent TD for Wicklow Stephen Donnelly took in €11,652, the highest of any TD, while fellow independent Shane Ross accepted €10,274 of donations in Dublin South.
Senator Michael D’Arcy, an outgoing Fine Gael TD who lost his seat in February’s general election, topped Fine Gael’s list of individual TDs and Senators disclosing donations, declaring €9,400 in donations – largely received from companies in his native Gorey.
Alex White, a Labour TD for Dublin South, was the highest individual recipient of donors from his party, with €7,250 in donations.
None of Ireland’s 12 MEPs declared any donations above the €634.87 threshold, including Gay Mitchell, who also did not disclose any donations for his presidential election campaign.
Similarly, SIPO did not receive any statements from individuals who donated an aggregate of more than €5,078.95 to members from the same political party.
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