Oireachtas (Allowances To Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices (Amendment) Act, 1973

Payment of annual allowance to Government Party Leader or Leaders.

13.—The Principal Act is hereby amended by the insertion of the following section after section 9:

“9A. (1) Where there is one qualified Party which is a Government Party and not more, there shall be paid to the Leader of that Party an annual sum by way of allowance for expenses of £10,000.

(2) Where there are two qualified Parties both of which are Government Parties and not more—

(a) there shall be paid to the Leader of that one of those qualified Parties which is of the greater numerical strength in Dáil Éireann an annual sum by way of allowance for expenses of £7,000, and

(b) there shall be paid to the Leader of the other such qualified Party an annual sum by way of allowance for expenses of £3,000.

(3) Where there are three or more qualified Parties all of which are Government Parties—

(a) there shall be paid to the Leader of that one of those qualified Parties which is of the greatest numerical strength in Dáil Éireann an annual sum by way of allowance for expenses of £5,000,

(b) there shall be paid to each of the Leaders of the other such qualified Parties an annual sum by way of allowance for expenses of £5,000 divided by the number of the other such qualified Parties.

(4) An allowance payable to a person under this section shall be in addition to the allowances payable to him under the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Act, 1938 , and shall not be payable save in respect of a period in respect of which the last-mentioned allowance is payable to him.”.