The election info which was sent, in Oireachtas envelopes, to a Waterford City Address

INDEPENDENT TD and upcoming General Election Candidate John Halligan has told the Waterford News & Star that he didn’t believe he was doing anything wrong when he sent out election information in Oireachtas envelopes. “The ruling is a complicated one and I was under the impression that we couldn’t use the envelopes once the election was called,” Halligan said. “I’m very transparent in how I deal with all kinds of expenses so if I have done something wrong I will pay back the Oireachtas straight away.”

Halligan claimed he had run out of a box of normal envelopes to send invites in and so used around 30 of the Oireachtas ones. “It was a notification of a public meeting, so I didn’t see it as an issue,” Halligan said, despite the fact that ‘Public Meeting’ doesn’t appear anywhere on the invite and Election 2016 appears in large writing.

In guidance issued last November, the Standards in Public Office Commission said clearly “The Standards Commission has advised that, in advance of the dissolution of the Dáíl, TDs and Senators should not use Oireachtas envelopes (or other facilities) for electoral purposes in connection with the forthcoming general elections for Dail Éireann and Seanad Éireann, in respect of their own candidature, as these facilities have been provided to them arising out of their duties as public representatives. Neither should they provide these facilities to other candidates for electoral or any other purpose.”

Did you receive any communication from Election Candidates in Oireachtas envelopes?