Sipo told Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald she could not use special Dáil allowance to pay for personal security

A plan by Mary Lou ­McDonald to use her taxpayer-funded ­leader’s allowance to pay for personal security was rejected by the State’s political watchdog.

Sinn Féin contacted the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) asking whether the party could use the Parliamentary Activities Allowance (PAA), formerly known as the leader’s allowance, to pay for security for Ms McDonald.

Sinn Féin’s 32-county finance manager Treasa Quinn wrote to Ray Butler, of Sipo’s secretariat, on February 22, 2023, seeking guidance on whether the PAA could be used to provide security.

Mr Butler responded the next day, asking in which of the 11 categories of expenses set out under the allowance the party planned to make the claim.

Ms Quinn responded suggesting the category that allows party leaders to claim transport and personal expenditure costs.

“We feel that section would be the most suitable given that this expense is only incurred due to her personal safety being under threat because of her position as leader of Sinn Féin,” Ms Quinn said. “If you have any further comments/questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”

According to correspondence released under the Freedom of Information Act, Ms Quinn did not hear from Sipo for four months after her initial request for information.

On June 29, another Sipo ­worker, Brian McKevitt, wrote to Ms Quinn apologising for the delay in responding.

Mr McKevitt said Sipo “does not have a statutory role in the provision of advice about the Parliamentary Activities Allowance”, despite being the state body responsible for overseeing financial accounts filed by political parties.

“Accordingly, this is an expense that is provided for already and is therefore not an allowable expense as per section 10(4) of the 1938 Act, as amended by the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Act 2014,” he added.

However, Mr McKevitt noted that since Sinn Féin queried the expense, the Government had put in place a scheme allowing politicians claim up to €5,000 towards the cost of security services for themselves or their staff.

Ms McDonald has been confronted by anti-immigration protesters on a number of occasions over her party’s positive attitude towards immigrants coming to Ireland.

There have also been protests outside her family home by anti-immigration activists.

In January last year, just before Ms Quinn sought information about the State paying for Ms McDonald’s security, a group of masked men protested about immigration outside the office of long-serving Sinn Féin TD Dessie Ellis.

Protesters also confronted Ms McDonald after she attended a meeting in a community centre in the East Wall area of Dublin in November.

As immigration has become a major political issue, Sinn Féin’s popularity has slumped and anti-immigrant political parties have vowed to target its seats in the forthcoming local and European elections.

Since then, Ms McDonald has made suggestions about ending emergency response measures offered to Ukrainian refugees next year that would see anyone who remained here following the Russian invasion entered into the general international protection programme.

Sinn Féin responded to the Irish Independent, saying; “Mary Lou McDonald gets advice from the Gardaí and Oireachtas authorities, as do all TDs, and obviously acts on it. This is an ongoing engagement and the implementation of their advice is not related to any specific issue.”

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