EEP Group

Transparency

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Information about MEPs salaries and allowances, including staffing arrangements, is published on the Parliament’s websiteThe monthly pre-tax salary of MEPs is €8,932.86 (as of 1 July 2019). My salary is paid from Parliament’s budget and is subject to an EU tax and Irish tax.

General Expenditure Allowance

The general allowance is paid to cover the costs involved in running a constituency office including rent, management and maintenance costs, office supplies and documentation, telephone and postal charges, furniture, and the purchase, operation and maintenance of computers, software and other equipment. The allowance is also used to cover the costs relating to the organisation of events, conferences, seminars, exhibitions and public meetings. I rent an office at 43a Upper Gladstone Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. The allowance is € 4,563 per month (as of 2020).

Travel and Subsistence allowance

The Parliament pays a flat-rate subsistence allowance for each day of attendance at official meetings of the Parliament bodies within the European Community to cover accommodation, meals and all other expenses involved in such attendance. The allowance is paid only if the MEP has signed an official attendance register. The allowance is €323 per day (as of 2020). In 2018 I signed in on average 3 / 4 days per week in Brussels, and 4 days per week during Strasbourg plenary weeks. We are refunded the actual cost of our travel tickets on presentation of invoices, receipts and boarding passes. In 2018, the amount was € 39, 489.76

Pensions

While I am entitled to a pension from my teaching career, I have donated it to the state.

Staff Budget

MEPs can choose their own staff within a budget set by Parliament. I employ four full-time staff – three in Brussels and one in Ireland. Accredited assistants, based in Brussels (or Strasbourg) are administered and paid directly by Parliament’s administration. Assistants based in an MEP’s home country are handled by qualified paying agents, who guarantee that all appropriate tax and PRSI is paid.

Meetings with Interest Representatives

I conduct meetings in public areas with interest groups and they are published on my registry here in line with Rule 11 of the European Parliament Rules of Procedure. These cover “scheduled meetings”, i.e. planned meetings which naturally requires some kind of communication between the interested parties beforehand. Spontaneous or social encounters are not covered, nor random unplanned encounters at events, rallies or meetings of associations. However, I voluntary report all meetings. In addition to my public register, I post all of my meetings across my social media channels.

You can see my past meetings with stakeholders by clicking the link here:

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