President Higgins will not make statement on allowance
President Michael D Higgins has reneged on his promise to provide a formal statement on the use of an unvouched €317,000 annual allowance before the public vote on October 26.
Last week, at the official launch of his campaign, Mr Higgins promised to provide a “formal statement” about spending at Áras an Uachtaráin, as he defended the unaudited annual presidential allowance of €317,000.
He said he had no difficulty answering questions about the allowance, which he said is spent on garden parties and tea parties as well as the hosting of foreign leaders.
However, speaking yesterday during a walkabout in Dublin, he said a statement is now not likely until November, after polling day.
“At the end of the period, I am saying the month of November, we will make a full return on how every… everything that is spent is receipted, there is in fact a statement that comes every week,” said President Higgins
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“There is a stocktaking in relation to every month and I will have no problem at the end of the period.”
Asked to clarify if he was now saying a written statement will not be forthcoming before the end of the campaign, he said: “I doubt if it can be done in that amount of time.
“We will put an end of term statement in place.
“Well, I am in the middle of a campaign. Every single euro has been properly spent and will be properly accounted for and it is important that is the case.”
He said he denied dodging difficult questions at an event in Ballinasloe last weekend, as suggested by some of his rival candidates.
“The notion I am never asked hard questions… I have been answering hard questions all my life.
“Also it is no harm for us to realise that seven years ago, we had an election. There was a returning officer and I was declared elected. This is how I am President. There wasn’t any accident, there wasn’t a coup,” he said with force.
Meanwhile, businessman Sean Gallagher has said he has put his long-standing dispute with RTE behind him.
“I’ve shaken hands with RTÉ, we’ve put it behind us,” he said.
The incident, which involved the introduction of a fake tweet during a live TV debate, said a man who claimed to have given a cheque to Mr Gallagher for a Fianna Fáil fundraiser would be presented at a press conference the following day.
The matter was the basis of a substantial financial settlement in 2016 and the issuing of an apology to him.
He said he is “very proud” of his time in Fianna Fáil and said he never tried to hide his involvement with the party.
Mr Gallagher said the amount he had fundraised for Fianna Fáil was “in the region of €5,000 to €10,000 over a lifetime”.
