Derek Keating hands back €7,571

stoneill

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/politicians-hand-back-16000-after-random-expenses-audit-3334029.html

Of those audited, Fine Gael TD Derek Keating returned the most after it was found that €7,571 worth of his claims were ineligible.

The report showed that he had claimed €13,420 correctly.

Mr Keating said he published all expenditure on his website. He said he accepted the findings, but his interpretation of what was allowed under the scheme was different to the auditor.

Did he genuinely make a mistake or deliberately overclaim?

Heroditas

Over 33% of his claims were ineligible?
If it was 10% or less, one could probably say one or two mistakes were made but when it's 33% and he claims an "interpretation" issue, then it seems bad, to be honest.
Surely they should have consulted before just assuming they could simply spend the money and claim for it afterwards?

However, it might be due to his inexperience as a Dail TD and that might explain it.

No doubt he won't make the same mistake again. :rolleyes:


EDIT: according to his website, he had to return money for expenses claimed for groups visiting the Dail, photography and printing and distribution.

Cavehill Red

So a large proportion of his expenses claims were bogus, but he has the audacity to claim that single parents are milking the system? Fucking hypocrite of the highest order.

Heliotrope

And just last week he was going on about single mothers welfare payments.

"He claimed this 'increased dependency on the State encourages a new lifestyle of welfare economy'."

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1213/1224327805179.html

LOL

freddiek

Fine Gael got such a big vote in 2011 there were bound to be a few useless clowns elected

enjoy your single term, dept. Keating

Eric The Great

Derek Keating may well rue the day he decided to join the FG gravy train. rather than being an Independent with "something" to say, he is now just another name among a group of overpaid sheisters who will go down in infamy.....Hogan......Shatter......Reilly.....Kenny et al.

Fresh Pots

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. The man tries to get in on every project around just so it looks like he's doing something.

starviewadams

He called a meeting in The Green Isle yesterday evening about the Newlands X flyover upgrade project.Went along as I live close enough to it and was interested in hearing when construction was due to start.

Was nobody from SDCC/KCC or NRA present.Contracts haven't even been signed yet apparently.Just one of Keating's mates who was a retired engineer and economist who answered questions vaguely.

Completely pointless meeting,called solely for the photo opportunity judging by the amount of pictures his assistant took of him looking concerned.

Waste of an hour!

wanderlass

This man is actually unbelievable.As has been touched on,there isn't an event or happening that he does't cling to,photographer present, always with his own publicity in mind.He got himself "involved"with Pieta House, a truly worthwhile operation.There was a steady and endless stream of photos of him released. Before we knew it, along with a few of the other clowns in the Dail/Seanad had released a track on iTunes to raise funds for Pieta House.All very well so far until he started using his expense account to text everybody encouraging them to buy the track.Pieta House were less than impressed to get dragged into an abuse of expenses situation.His so called 'maiden speech' in the Dail was about suicide prevention which again was grand until FG took the money that it had ring fenced for suicide prevention and gave it to the HSE to cover up Reilly's incompetence.No speeches now I can tell you.
He then withdrew(or was withdrawn?) from Pieta House and moved his road show to Aspen Counselling in Lucan,another good set up.He somehow managed to get a picture taken of himself holding a cheque to Aspen from Lucan Lions Club??? A photo of him holding a cheque given by Lucan Lions ??? Go figure !
To quote another character in Lucan history,he is politically promiscuous - been in F.F.,P.D's and now F.G and only moved to F.G. when he saw that they couldn't lose the election such a bad job had F.F. done.But they'll lose the next one and that's for sure.

stoneill

wanderlass wrote: »

He then withdrew(or was withdrawn?) from Pieta House and moved his road show to Aspen Counselling in Lucan,another good set up.He somehow managed to get a picture taken of himself holding a cheque to Aspen from Lucan Lions Club??? A photo of him holding a cheque given by Lucan Lions ??? Go figure !
.

I was there that night in the Spa Hotel - The Lions Club were donating funds to local charities. Aspen was just one of them. Like any politician, there was a photo op and he jumped in.
In fairness though I did get a cup of tea and a few triangley sandwiches.