Media silence over Niall Collins story

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120672913#Comment_120672913

If enquiring about a property imparted pecuniary/ beneficial interest, EAs/vendors would be inundated with enquirers invoking their rights.

That alone should tell you how absurd this whole situation is, and gullible you fell for the Ditch’s lazy, poorly researched article.

JP Liz V1

The Ditch has more on him

https://twitter.com/wereontheditch/status/1680977435272138752

MegamanBoo

Where's the faux outrage, finger wagging and calls for accountability from FFG when it's one of their own and not RTE seemingly helping themselves from the public purse?

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120869387#Comment_120869387

If the Ditch had broken the RTE story, there would be no faux outrage, finger wagging and calls for accountability because, you know, Paddy Cosgrave.

BrianD3

There's now a similar story on The Ditch about Sean Fleming's travel expenses. As with Collins, a considerable amount of ministerial travel when the Dail was in recess and with the travel claim not correlating (not even close) with the travel recorded in the ministerial diary.

What's going on and how does the system work? Don't tell me that ministers submit a "figure" with nothing to back it up except entries in a separate ministerial diary.

When I worked in the PS, travel was claimed using an application where you entered where you went and on what date etc. There were were still problems with people entering where they went but not the reason for the journey. Also, nobody was ever asked for proof (e.g. copy of sign in sheet) that they actually attended conferences and seminars that they were claiming travel for attending.

Cosgrave is raging because he believes the only journalists in the country covering this are the two he bankrolls. That every other journalist (hundreds of them) are deliberately failing to report on the story.

It’s real tinfoil hate stuff from Tech Gemma. I wonder is he actually ok these days?

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872089#Comment_120872089

Do you think that these ministerial expenses stories are Gemmaesque conspiracy theories?

Or the story is simply not interesting enough for other journalists to cover?

elperello

Cosgrave is problematic for many reasons but you'd still like to think that all public servants return correct expenses claims.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872296#Comment_120872296

I don’t know. It’s more than likely that the reason the expenses don’t align with the ministerial diary is that ministerial duty is only part of the role of being a TD.

If there’s more to the story then more mainstream media will pick it up. There probably isn’t though and this is just the increasingly irrelevant Ditch throwing mud on behalf of its paymaster.

alias no.9

I've come to learn that Niall Collins lives in Patrickswell from the last swing and miss by Paddy Cosgrove. A return trip from there to Leinster House is about 410km.

Even when the Dail is not sitting I doubt it would be far fetched for any TD to make a daytrip to Leinster House once a week, it's more than just the Dail chamber. Add in a few meetings around the constituency clocking up perhaps 100km a day on 3 other days, it's up to 710km a week times 4 weeks and it's 2,840km or almost 3000km.

Did Niall Collins really clock up almost 3,000km on Dail and constituency business that month? Fucked if I know but it's not in any way implausible.

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872520#Comment_120872520

The 3000 km he did in August 2021.

In August 2022 he clocked up 6000 km.

He probably made two return trips to the Dail a week and clocked up over 200km on constituency business the other three days a week. For four weeks. During August.

Some man for one man, but could that be fairly typical of his ilk?

Totally plausible I guess.

alias no.9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872705#Comment_120872705

The figure above is 3k, if that's the story, it doesn't amount to much. 6k seems high, but it doesn't automatically make it wrong.

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872715#Comment_120872715

The 3k was the second story relating to August 21. The first story related to 6k in August 22.

While his ministerial diary for August accounts for just over 900 kilometres of driving – he claimed for more than 6,000 kilometres’ worth. The diaries of at least two of Collins’s ministerial colleagues match what they received in expenses.

Though Collins claimed more than €1,500 for ministerial driving expenses for August 2022 alone, all but four days in his diary for the month were block booked for “constituency work”. Ministers are only to be “reimbursed expenditure necessarily incurred in the course of official duty away from home or headquarters” rather than constituency work, according to state policy.

https://www.ontheditch.com/high-mileage-club-niall-collins/

dasa29

Ok a Few points TD's expenses were in the papers back in may

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/politics/arid-41133727.html

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/total-of-53-tds-claim-expenses-over-e50000-in-2022-for-travel-1472392.html

The Parliamentary Standard Allowance (PSA) is an annual allowance that comprises the travel and accommodation allowance (TAA) and the public representation allowance (PRA). Members receive their PSA monthly in arrears.

• TAA covers the costs associated with travel to and from Leinster House, overnights and, for TDs only, other travel expenses including constituency travel. Senators receive no payments for constituency travel.
• PRA covers the costs associated with Members’ work as public representatives, such as office rental, leaflet printing and web hosting. The categories of expenses allowable under the PRA vary according to the Member’s role. PRA expenses must be vouched and are subject to an annual limit.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/salaries-and-allowances/parliamentary-standard-allowances/

BrianD3

This is quite confusing - do TDs claim 1/12th of the TAA for the month of August and claim per km for any other official travel? If Collins' claim includes the TAA then maybe it is correct.

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873315#Comment_120873315

Collins' claim cannot include the TAA because he is not entitled to it:

Ministers, Ministers of State and the Ceann Comhairle are not entitled to claim the TAA.

BrianD3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873469#Comment_120873469

That could just mean that Ministers etc. can't claim a 2nd TAA on top of the TAA for being a TD?

We need more clarity on exactly how Minister and TDs claim travel and allowances, Is there a separate system for ministerial travel. What evidence is there to show that a journey took place. Do members keep a TD travel diary as well as a separate ministerial one.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872296#Comment_120872296

No and No.

But reputable media outlets do things like fact-checking because they have reputations and assets to protect. Unlike the Ditch which is the disposable plaything of a paranoid millionaire.

The media have been all over expenses stories like this in the past and will be on this one and others, just as soon as they're sure what they're publishing is actually factually correct

VinLieger

If hes proven to have broken the law and filed false travel claims then he should be held to account however that's not what the ditch have done, imo their reporting on this is exactly the same thing the sun did to huw edwards although not as bad obviously. By that I mean they've given only half the story while implying illegality without any proof whatsoever. Like others have pointed out theyve basically just done half the research and said "alright thats enough lets throw some dirt".

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120874902#Comment_120874902

The story that they have is that he claimed expenses for 6000km in August 2021. That's a fact.

They have pointed out that this seems high given his Ministerial diary entries and that the Dail was in recess during August. That's an opinion.

They have asked Collins for comment to explain/clarify why his mileage was so high in August. i.e they have asked him for his version of the story.

Niall Collins has thus far refused to comment. That's why the Ditch currently only have half the story.

This is perfectly normal journalism.

Just like as happened in the Catherine Martin example.

The only difference being she gave her half of the story when questioned why her mileage of 4500 km in August seemed very high given her ministerial diary and the fact the Dail was in recess.

A spokesperson for Martin said the incorrect claim was made in error.

“The minister submitted the correct claims for the period in question but owing to an administrative error by the department the wrong mileage was entered on the travel and subsistence system when processing the claim. The matter has been rectified.”

https://www.ontheditch.com/mileage-catherine-martin/

Cluedo Monopoly

When Dara Murphy (FG) got away with significant expense fraud, all the other TDs knew they were untouchable. Leo asked him to pay it back but he laughed at us. RTE Investigates did 2 programs on expense fraud and asked why the 2015 reform bill was stalled. They got waffle answers and it's still in 'discussion'.

mazdamiatamx5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120511602#Comment_120511602

Overly simplistic, unless you would say the same about all guards judges teachers etc

JP Liz V1

Collins on The Ditch Again

https://twitter.com/wereontheditch/status/1684919346622091264

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910482#Comment_120910482

The man is just another FF crook. Plain and simple.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910503#Comment_120910503

Hope he is voted out at the next election but knowing how the system works he will come back as a senator.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872089#Comment_120872089

Cosgrove has lost all respectability when he lied about nurses dying, then instead of admitting his lies he hid for months. Then made a poor attempt at an apology to all the HSE staff in Ireland

His gang of roving reporters are not a whole lot better. Poor old Tech Gemma had to kick out his Russian Comrade because it was blowing a bit too much heat on him

Cosgrove also didn't get the goods from FG after sucking up to them for years so has jumped into bed with SF now. So I keep saying it and would be interesting to see what exactly they have promised him in return? will he get his all access to Dublin and Hotels like he wanted from FG?

Maybe what the Ditch is releasing is correct and issues with expenses is a huge in Ireland. But people complain about RTE & press been biased and then point to the Ditch :-) Cosgrove and the motley crew are totally tainted. Has that lad ever paid his rent?

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120914042#Comment_120914042

Don’t forget to mention the scrot, R Shortall, this pillar of truth ran up €50k in unpaid rent and the LL had to get his court ordered removal.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120914481#Comment_120914481

Ahh he is more of a Gemma than bloody Cosgrove. Spent the last few years on twitter arguing with himself and now claims to be a investigative journalist 😂

Before this he was a legal exec, yet no references from any companies after working at it for 10 years

All of it seems legit doesn’t it?

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910482#Comment_120910482

Maybe Collins just has more time in August to fill out his travel claims for the last few months and they relate to more than August.

At various busy times over the last few decades, I have sent in expense claims for the whole year in mid-December.

BrianD3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120927007#Comment_120927007

Even if he did that, his travel claims would (or should) have details on journeys - including dates of those journeys. Assuming of course that the claims relate to actual journeys rather than some monthly travel allowance (TAA)

I worked in the public service and it would be a trivial matter to pick any month, even from years ago, that I was employed, and determine what I claimed for that month, regardless of when I submitted the claim.

As I said already we need more clarity on how exactly the system for politicians works and more details on the claims. If it is as you say and The Ditch are using the date of submission rather than the dates of the claim, The Ditch is wrong. Another possibility is that the system is a joke with no details on journeys required. Another possibility is that Collins has made "errors" or "forgot" that he didn't travel somewhere - like how politicians often forget what assets they own when making declarations or forget where they live when applying for planning permission.