Galway politicians produce 600,000 items at Oireachts print facility

Galway politicians used the Oireachtas print facility to produce more than 600,000 items of material to communicate with constituents over the past two years.

The items are produced and printed free of charge for senators and TDs but they cost the Houses of the Oireachtas in excess of €15,000 in 2020 and 2021.

The outlay does not include the cost of printing staff including graphic designers who designed the material.

Customised promotional material that was printed for local TDs and Senators included greeting cards, Christmas cards, business cards, letterheads, compliment slips, Oireachtas-headed paper, newsletters and leaflets.

Independent Senator Rónán Mullen, from Ahascragh, had some 246,900 items printed costing €4,237. That included 900 Christmas cards, 116,000 newsletters and 140,000 A4 colour printed letterheads.

Galway West TD, Hildegarde Naughton (FG) had material worth €3,632 printed since she was promoted to Minister of State at the Department of Transport attending Cabinet. Minister Naughton printed 145,000 items including 47,000 A4 colour newsletters.

Galway East TD, Anne Rabbitte (FF) Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Disability had some 46,500 items printed at a cost of €1,345. Among the printed material were 500 greeting cards and 21,000 A4 colour newsletters.

Former Government chief whip and former Galway West TD, Senator Seán Kyne (FG) had material printed that cost €878. It included 2,000 compliment slips and 2,000 Oireachtas headed paper.

In Roscommon/Galway, Deputy Claire Kerrane (SF) and Senator Eugene Murphy (FF) produced material worth €781 and €776 respectively.

Deputy Kerrane’s 26,820 items included 20,000 A4 colour newsletters while Senator Murphy’s 18,900 items included 10,000 newsletters and 2,000 business cards.

Independent TD in Roscommon/Galway Michael Fitzmaurice had an outlay of just €64 on 500 compliment slips and 500 business cards.

Former Fine Gael Minister now independent TD Denis Naughton had material costing €235 printed, which included 500 business cards.

Independent Senator Pádraig Ó Ceidigh had some 11,500 items printed at a cost of €282; these included 3,000 newsletters.

Green Party Senator Pauline O’Reilly produced 95,850 items that cost €1,703, including 95,000 colour newsletters.

The cost of items produced for Galway East TD, and former Minister of State, Ciaran Cannon (FG) was €357. Among the 5,000 items were business cards, compliment slips and Oireachtas-headed paper.

Another former Junior Minister in Galway East, Seán Canney (Ind) had 6,000 Oireachtas-headed paper produced at a cost of €233.

In Galway West, Mairead Farrell (SF) had 26,700 items printed at a cost of €726, including 12,000 newsletters, 200 business cards, 2,000 clinic query forms.

Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív’s printing costs amounted to €157 for 10,000 items including gold foiled letterheads. His party colleague in the constituency, Senator Ollie Crowe also had 10,000 items produced at a cost of €329, including 5,000 newsletters and 400 business cards.

Leas Ceann Comhairle and Galway West TD, Catherine Connolly (Ind) had 1,000 Dáil-headed paper printed at a cost of €45.

The costs incurred by the Oireachtas, released following a Freedom of Information request, include consumables such as paper and ink, and does not include other costs associated with the printing jobs including staff costs, premises rent, IT, machinery and so on.

(Photo: Senator Rónán Mullen, who had some 246,900 items printed costing €4,237).