THE ATTENDANCE RATE of Irish Members of the European Parliament at plenary sessions was one of the lowest in the EU in the second half of 2014, according to research by European Movement Ireland.
A report published by the organisation today found the attendance rate dropped from 91% in the first half of last year to just 76% in the second half.
The average attendance rate at councils was also below average.
The number of speeches given by our representatives in the parliament also fell last year to just 560, compared to 903 in 2013. As one of the graphs below shows, Irish MEP asked fewer written questions this year and just 109 in the second half of last year.
Unfortunately, the report does not provide a breakdown of the attendance records of each individual MEP.
A previous monitor of attendance in 2014, however, showed the lowest scores were those of Luke Ming Flanagan and Brian Crowley.
Flanagan explained last year that his wife had been ill and his children needed him home. At the time, Crowley had also been in hospital for several months.
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