FORMER TAOISEACH BERTIE AHERN has insisted he is fully entitled to claim two allowances for his mobile phone bills, and travel expenses for getting to Leinster House – despite already having a full-time Garda driver.

Today’s Sunday Tribune reveals that Ahern has been paid an allowance by the Department of the Taoiseach to cover his phone bills – but is also paid a ‘public representation allowance’ as a TD, as all deputies are entitled to, which covers mobile phone bills.

Since new expenses rules were introduced in March, which offer TDs a set limit of travel expenses based on their address, Ahern has been one of five Dublin-based TDs claiming the maximum unvouched allowance payable to them.

The allowance claimed by Ahern – as well as Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, Fianna Fail’s Cyprian Brady, and independent TDs Maureen O’Sullivan and Finian McGrath – amounts to €2,250 a month, tax free.

In Ahern’s case, however, he is given the use of a full-time Garda driver – again, covered by the State as a former Taoiseach – meaning that in theory, he does not incur any expense at all for travelling to and from Leinster House.

Yet Ahern, who lives in Drumcondra and is unlikely to need overnight accommodation, has been claiming €1,000 per month – the maximum amount allowed – to cover travel and overnight expenses.

A statement from the Fianna Fáil press office said the former Taoiseach was entitled to his expenses as a former head of government and did not avail of the Oireachtas allowance for phone expenses.