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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.
Why run for European elections if you have concerns over the amount of travel you’ll do and time away from your family?
Oh yes…of course….the good pay and pension. Forgot about that..Nevermind
To be fair now one MEP is in hospital and the other just had a baby. Everyone has a right 2 work even under these circumstances as the public have a right to vote for someone else if they feel they won’t be able to turn up.
People make all the excuses in the world as to why someone shouldn’t run but in reality it’s us the public who vote them in.
Crowley was just as bad during the previous parliament. If he is not well enough to do the job, he shouldn’t have run.
All his opponents and the media were scared to make an issue of it though because they thought it would reflect badly on them.
they don’t really care about hillbillies cutting turf on the west of Ireland so Ming doesn’t bother his bollix going anymore.
Crowleys stats last term were worse than a couple of our MEPs that only served a partial term, even if he was out sick for some he was not sick for 2 years.
I bet they don’t have one of the lowest expenses claims rates in the EU!
Hogs at the trough.
No surprise there. Lazy, self serving, money hungry Shite bags of the highest order.
Rob your language is atrocious but I agree with your analysis..One needs to root out all the freeloaders I think.
We elect 11 every 5 years and currently I’m Delighted with the work 3/4 of them are doing.
Fine Gael and FF MEPs just sit and vote yes all day
Kevin
What have SF and Indos actually done?
No surprise..just look at nodding head Mr Hogan. Sits there nodding and agreeing, he doesn’t even know what he’s agreeing to. The IFA did more work on a napkin.
And all the while we are contributing to his multi pension pot.
Well this time they are out.
And in the meantime, lets make it a law, to be a TD, you must be a serving TD, for at least 25 years before you get a pension. That would stop the fat asses.
No surprise..just look at nodding head Mr Hogan. Sits there nodding and agreeing, he doesn’t even know what he’s agreeing to. The IFA did more work on a napkin.
And all the while we are contributing to his multi pension pot.
Well this time they are out.
And in the meantime, lets make it a law, to be a TD, you must be a serving TD, for at least 25 years before you get a pension. That would stop the fat a**es.
Sorry for the repeat, they made me change asses to a**es, and then they posted both..go figure
Nothing, but it’s not their fault. They’re attached to a group (GUE) that is against everything and that has no influence in parliament.
They are not sitting there nodding in agreement , they are actually NODDING OFF , poor things must be knackered after walking from their cars to the building.
Pay them per appearance, no show no dough,I bet we would be number 1 in no time at all,I got 3 paid days for the birth of my son,the rest I had to take my annual leave for,why should these get paid whether they turn up or not?
In fairness the Belgians don’t need to go far what’s their accuse ?
Dock their pay.
Remember when the independent false reported on ming Flanagans attendance record?
They claimed he had the worst when he had one of the best.
Sure, why would the attend? They’ve got the post and the wages, but much to expect them to earn and justify those positions/perks as well
Our best export was bad pill Hogan.He insults the whole country with his water down to a trickle crap and gets on an even bigger gravy train.Something not quite right there.
Out of the eu now please.
That escalated quickly. Ireland yet to have a national debate and vote on eu membership so let’s have that discussion before jumping ship
Kevin whats the eu doing for us name one thing that would change my mind._.
That’s a bit like the Monty python sketch what have the Romans every done for us.
That’s a bit like the Monty python sketch what have the Romans every done for us. Maybe have a look at some of those signs where major infrastructure took place and see who funded it.
Very simply our infrastructure and our agriculture was built on the free market and supporting local farmers. All multinational companies are here due our access into the EU market. Without agriculture and exporting industries our economy is virtually nil. So a lot actually.
Seriously if ye had to sit beside brain Hayes everyday in work ? Would ye go ?.
Then walk passed Phil Hogans office while he’s drinking the finest bottled water paid for by European taxpayers ?.
Why would that surprise anyone? The ancient and longstanding tradition in this country is: having gained election, do as little as possible, for as short a time as possible, for the greatest financial gain possible. Until someone choose s to challenge these great traditions how can we pretend surprise?
The graphics are available to show attendance by individual men’s…. Unsurprisingly it shows FG and FF meps had highest attendance in general, liadh Ni riada of sinn fein in my own European area would want to get the finger out considering part of her campaign was how she would attend greater numbers of meetings than the Fg candidates….
Hardly surprising the journal wouldn’t show a statistic that sheds positive light on fine gael members..
“Hardly surprising the journal wouldn’t show a statistic that sheds positive light on fine gael members..”
You must be new here.
Evidence O’Regan show us the evidence.
Seriously if ye had to go to work and sit beside Brian Hayes everyday ? Would ye go ?
Our lads and lassies over in Brussels are doing us proud by doing less. Fewer questions save us screwed taxpayers as each self-serving stupid question (and the very occasional sensible one) has to be translated into God knows how many languages all at great cost, and the same applies to the answers, before the lot gets filed in God knows how many binders at several locations. Following a few years of lying unread, the last disgraceful waste of money comes when those thousands of tons of utterly worthless paper are moved to some of the world’s most expensive archives to be stored for posterity, as if anyone gives a shit.
Don’t knock our occupants of the first class carriage of the EU gravy train, when not engaged claiming tax free expenses such as €500 for the €79 Ryanair flight and €225 overnight allowance when sleeping in the office fold-out bed, they really are trying to deliver value for money by doing less. And even if they did more….sure what difference would it make anyway?
…………………
We bleed them drive for money based our size. Business isn’t done in the chamber. Come on….clocking in and clocking out doesn’t ever improve performance. Flights are also shite….the Dutch etc have less of an excuse than ours as they only down the road.
Travel allowance, food allowance, bed and board, there are plenty of ways to bring it up?
So when is the Political Union coming???
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