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Now Sinn Fein under fire over expenses
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
A former Tory minister has claimed taxpayers are “being taken for a ride” after it emerged that Sinn Fein has claimed more than £400,000 on a pair of London flats – even though its five MPs refuse to take their seats in Westminster.
It was reported that in the last financial year the five claimed a total of £105,000 yet they do not take their House of Commons seats and are rarely seen in London.
Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, Pat Doherty, Michelle Gildernew and Conor Murphy each claimed £21,000 in Additional Cost Allowances – just short of the maximum.
The Daily Mail has reported that since the figures were first published in 2001/02, the Sinn Fein MPs had received a total of £437,405 in the taxpayer funded allowance.
Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Owen Paterson said: "It is completely unacceptable for Sinn Fein representatives, who won’t even sit in Parliament, to claim hundreds of thousands at the taxpayers’ expense. That is why the Conservatives have consistently opposed members who refuse to take their seats receiving the accommodation allowance.”
Former Tory chairman Lord Tebbit, whose wife was paralysed by the IRA Brighton bombing in 1984, also hit out at the claims.
“As usual, we are being taken for a ride. I’m very surprised that these MPs are so undignified as to claim money from Her Majesty’s Treasury at all, since they refuse to recognise the Queen,”he said.
A Sinn Fein spokesman defended the claims. He said that the two rented properties were used by the MPs on a shared basis when they were in London.
“Sinn Fein MPs do not |receive a salary from Westminster, nor do they employ any family members. Sinn Fein makes no apology for |refusing to sit in the British House of Commons,” he said.
“We also make no apology for ensuring that people who vote for Sinn Fein get the same democratic entitlements as everyone else.”
The Daily Mail figures focus solely on Sinn Fein’s accommodation expenses in London but come just a day after the Belfast Telegraph carried a detailed breakdown of all our MPs’ Commons and Assembly expenses.
The figures, released by Stormont under freedom of information, showed that Sinn Fein’s five MPs claimed a total of £681,235 in Commons expenses in the 2007/08 financial year.That figure rises to £1,365,397 when claims for Commons and Assembly |expenses are combined.
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Comments
24 Comments
it has often been said you can't have your cake an eat it, but this excludes Sin Fein they say we make no apology for ensuring that people who vote for Sinn Fein get the Democratic entitlement as everyone else ? Well if that is the case why don't you Sinn Fein do the honourable thing and sit in office , at westminster and take the money. Rather than not sit and claim £681,235 in commons expences. If in any other place of bussiness an enployee took the money from his enployer but refused to turn up he would be sacked or disciplined. I am only wondering if Saint Patrick would approve of this behavour who possiblely might have sat in office in Westminster but refused their money. is that not the honourable thing
Posted by George | 09.04.09, 15:45 GMT
All being used for their AGENDA ! never mind the sinn fein voters
Posted by Seamus | 08.04.09, 21:40 GMT
I'm going to London with the family for a weekend - any chance I can rent this flat as its not being used ---- pity to see it going to waste
Posted by john | 08.04.09, 20:50 GMT
You can claim up to £75,000 for constituancy offices in N.Ireland.
The Paisleys claimed £62,500 a year in rent for their massive office in Ballymena paid for by the taxpayers.
The DUP have all state of the art constituancy offices and in Comber they have two offices facing each other across the main street.
Meanwhile my hard working MLA Alex Maskey Sinn Fein works in an office on the Ormeau Road which resembles an ice cream parlour.
Notice to Alex --get your nose in the mire like the rest of them.
Rent a big office with all modern equipment, computers, faxes, printers etc etc. The taxpayer will pay for all and it is perfectly legal.
Posted by Gerard | 08.04.09, 20:16 GMT
Sinn Fein, quite openly say they use their Westminster Allowance to provide a constituency service AND to campaign for a Untied Ireland. Surely this is against the rules. The Green Book ( the Commons rule-book on these matters) says the following..."You must avoid any arrangement which may give rise to an accusation that... public money is being diverted for the benefit of a political organisation" and "expenses... cannot be used to meet the costs of party political activities or campaigning." Expenses should be related only to constituency work.
Posted by David | 08.04.09, 18:43 GMT
Think I might join Sinn Fein, or the DUP. I quite fancy having access to a nice pad in London when I want, plus a few hundred K in expences, all in exchange for what? -
• Blaming every ill in the world on the British Government.
• Portraying myself, and the community I represent, as a poor downtrodden victim at every opportunity.
• Believing that the world is flat, and global warming is a myth (those are DUP only ones)
How hard can that be? Anyone want to vote for me, and they can use my London pad anytime they want? I'll be call my new party The Pig's Back.
Posted by Plannisaurus Rex | 08.04.09, 18:20 GMT
They hate everything British except the British Pound.
Posted by Jack Anderson | 08.04.09, 17:57 GMT
Hey, bottom line is - it's all about the money - always was, always will be. They can bleat on all they like about how many advice centres they operate and how much good they do in the community and how they could close their offices and hurt the community by spending less. yea, yea, yea.........
oliticians, Catholic or protestant (or athiest), are all the same, even better if you are married then you can claim double.
Posted by Chloe | 08.04.09, 17:53 GMT
They all seem to be at it!
Posted by T J McClean | 08.04.09, 17:46 GMT
Do they claim in Dublin?
Posted by jay | 08.04.09, 17:45 GMT
This is such a laughable Those who voted for them should take note and ask themselves if tis was what they wanted ?
Posted by Tommy Atkins | 08.04.09, 16:47 GMT
I really want to hear what they have to say about this.
Posted by Cantbelievewhatimhearing | 08.04.09, 16:07 GMT
Sinn Fein MPs should be staying in a Hotel on their trips to London, no need for them to be renting properties! How often are they there anyway? Perhaps they could utilize it by allowing their constituents to avail of it, "rent free in London for a week" wouldn't that be a treat! Anyone know if Gerry Adams owns or rent's the property Sinn Fein uses in NY State? I bet there are a lot of families in Belfast who could use a week or two in NY "rent free" I guess "Justice and Equality" has a different meaning when you are no longer the "seeker" but have acquired the prize and benefited oneself.
Posted by Maura Clarke | 08.04.09, 15:59 GMT
Our Health service is failing
People are losing their jobs
Education is suffering
Debt is rising and people are losing their homes
It doesnt help with greediness like this. Makes me so mad
Posted by Pauline | 08.04.09, 15:56 GMT
sinn fein despise the english but love the english money
Posted by maxy | 08.04.09, 15:21 GMT
Those people who vote for Sinn Fein MPs have no representation at Westminister. As I have stated repeatedly through these columns it is time to get rid off the present crop of MPs,and elect those who are more interested in helping the people of Northern Ireland .
Posted by RMS | 08.04.09, 14:55 GMT
funny this
I sent comments into the BT yesterday on the story about the Robinsoins doing the same thing but all the comments were removed but today the one about the shinners has been left ummmmmmmmm
Posted by Mark | 08.04.09, 14:48 GMT
The sooner everyone realises that all these guys (regardless of party) are in this for themselves. The millions these people spend every year is disgusting.
Try to remember this the next time they come looking for your vote!
Posted by Martin | 08.04.09, 14:14 GMT
Gerry Adams & Co are laughing all the way to the bank,
Posted by Ulsterman | 08.04.09, 13:48 GMT
are you sure sinn fein want a united ireland? looks like they are quite happy getting paid these expenses at the cost of a country they dont want to belong too.
Posted by oval_mark | 08.04.09, 13:46 GMT
24 Comments