Non-existent PDs still receiving funds from state

22 February 2009  By Niamh Connolly Political Correspondent

The Progressive Democrats are still receiving state funding, almost four months after the party was voted out of existence by its members.

The Sunday Business Post has also learned that the PDs will fail to meet their latest deadline of next Saturday to wind up officially.

Under Oireachtas rules, the party is legally entitled to state funding ‘‘until the keys are handed over to the Dáil clerk and the lights are turned out’’, a Progressive Democrats spokesman said this weekend. ‘‘It’s a bit like a liquidation," the spokesman said.

In the meantime, a leader’s allowance of €15,000 a month is still being paid. The party also received a quarterly allocation of €67,000 last month as part of its annual funding.

‘‘This will go on into March, but I don’t see it dragging on further," the spokesman said. ‘‘The party is scheduled to get more funding in April, but I anticipate it [the party] will be gone at that stage."

He added that the organisation was ‘‘getting its financial affairs in order’’ and closing accounts. A ‘‘surplus’’ was anticipated on the accounts and would be returned to the state, he said.

Meanwhile, Oireachtas records showthat the Progressive Democrats’ final leader, Senator Ciaran Cannon, attended just five of 30 Oireachtas committee meetings after he was appointed to the Committee on Environment, Heritage and Local Government in October 2007.

Cannon acknowledged that he had been absent about 80 per cent of the time since the committee, which meets around twice a month, began its work after the last election.

His absence did not cost the exchequer, as committee members do not receive payment.

Cannon said that his priority had been to try to revive the Progressive Democrats.

‘‘I was travelling around the country to do this, and it’s the job I was tasked with at the time. Now that we’re approaching this wind-up process, I would be hoping to attend a lot more of the meetings," he said.

Cannon confirmed that he was in talks with Fine Gael and the Labour Party over his future.