ALMOST €4,500 in Parliamentary Standard Allowance payments (PSA) made to Deputy Holly Cairns (SD) for the month of December 2024 are in the process of being returned, her spokesperson has confirmed, while all future payments have been paused for the duration of her maternity leave.
The standard payments for all TDs were published by the Dáil at the end of February, and among them was a figure of €4,478.75 paid to Deputy Cairns for December, when the Social Democrats leader was on maternity leave, after the birth of her daughter on November 29th.
In a statement to The Southern Star, the party stated that the accommodation payments were paid automatically and furthermore, that the ‘systems underpinning TDs’ maternity leave in the Dáil are non-existent’.
Meanwhile, Deputy Michael Collins, leader of the Independent Ireland party, received €4,534.58 in his PSA payment for December, while TD Christopher O’Sullivan received €4,422.08.
The PSA is an annual allowance for TDs for transport and accommodation, as well as other costs incurred by way of office rental or leaflet printing.
The allowance is received by the members on a monthly basis.
