Salary

The monthly pre-tax salary of MEPs is €8,995.39.

MEP salaries are paid from Parliament’s budget. This salary comes from Parliament’s budget and is subject to an EU tax and insurance contributions, after which the salary is €7,011,74. This salary is also subject to a Irish taxation.

Travel and Subsistence allowance

MEPs are reimbursed the actual cost of their travel on presentation of invoices, receipts and boarding passes etc. The cost of my travel in 2018 was €51,603. This is the cost of my travel to and from my constituency in Ireland South to either Brussels or Strasbourg each week. It usually involves four flights a week or two flights and a rail connection, which is the most efficient route from Cork to the European Parliament.

Parliament pays a flat-rate subsistence allowance (€324) for each day of attendance at official meetings of the Parliament bodies within the European Community. This allowance is to cover accommodation, meals and all other expenses involved in such attendance. The allowance is paid only if the Member has signed an official attendance register.

General expenditure allowance

This allowance is paid to cover the costs involved in running a constituency office including rent, insurance, heating, electricity, cleaning and maintenance costs. Additionally; postal charges, phone bills, internet subscriptions, office supplies, stationary, newspapers, graphic design costs, printing, literature and distribution costs are covered.

I rent an office at 74, South Mall, Cork.

The allowance is also used to defray the cost of hotels and subsistence when travelling within my constituency, which includes the twelve counties of Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Waterford, Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Wexford, Laois and Offaly.

The allowance is also used to cover costs relating to the organisation of events, conferences, seminars, exhibitions and public meetings.

This allowance of €4,576 per month.

Staff Budget

MEPs choose staff within a fixed budget set by Parliament. I employ three staff members – two Accredited Assistants in Brussels / Strasbourg and one Local Assistant based in Ireland. None of my staff are related to me.

Accredited assistants are administered and paid directly by Parliament’s administration. The administration of contracts for local assistants are handled by paying agents, in my case a qualified accountant, who guarantees that all appropriate tax and PRSI is paid. MEPs play no role in the administration of contracts. Staff work according to agreed conditions set out in the employment contract.

My staff budget is also used to cover all the costs of my staff travelling, including monthly travel to the Parliament in Strasbourg.

The names of my current staff are available here.

Past Meetings

MEPs interact with a wide range of groups and organisations representing specific interests and undertaking lobbying activities. This is a legitimate and necessary part of the decision-making process to make sure that EU policies reflect people’s real needs. All types of interest representatives can provide Parliament with knowledge and specific expertise in numerous economic, social, environmental and scientific areas. They can play a key role in the open, pluralist dialogue on which a democratic system is based. You can see my past meetings with stakeholders here.