JUDGES CAN CLAIM €2,195 for the purchase of a ceremonial wig that they wear in court, a new report has confirmed. Supreme and High Court judges can also claim €10,000 a year to have a study/library installed in their home. The Irish Times and the Irish Daily Mail both report on the perks available to judges who can earn a basic salary anywhere from €127,000 to €295,000.

The Department of Justice told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that all Supreme Court and High Court judges are entitled to an annual tax-free allowance of over €9,000 to provide “a study and suitable library conditions” in their homes. The PAC published the breakdown of the judges’ expenses and benefits on its website yesterday.

Circuit and District Court judges get the standard Civil Service rate of €122 to cover accommodation and meals for overnight stays while on bnusiness. Mileage and other travel expenses are well covered with one District Court claiming €91,000 in travel and subsistence expenses. A High Court judge can claim €1,330 for travelling from Dublin to a sitting which lasts a fortnight in Cork, Ennis, Galway, Sligo and Limerick, says the Irish Times. That figure is €1,015 if the sitting is in Kilkenny or Waterford, and €813 if it is in Dundalk.

Information about the benefits of being a judge became available after a hearing of the Public Accounts Committee in July heard that Circuit Court judges attending sittings away from home could claim “sitting-room expenses” and “garage expenses”. Bernard Allen, TD, head of the PAC watchdog, said some of the allowances open to judges were akin “to the moat allowance in the House of Commons”. Every two years, for example, judges can claim €1,485 for a new “frock coat”, “frock coat without tails” and “vest”.

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