Donegal TD Padraig Mac Lochlainn has called on all political parties to thrash out a deal to return Dail sittings at Leinster House.
The Sinn Fein’s TD comes as the cost of using the National Convention Centre is set to tip over €300,000.
Politicians were forced to move out of Leinster House last month and into the Convention Centre to allow a full sitting of 160 TDs to vote in the new Government.
The cost of moving the Dail comes in at around €25,000 per day due to the extra staff and broadcasting equipment needed.
This €25,000 per day charge is on top of the €100,000 bill that was footed by the taxpayer to equip the building with microphones, cameras and recording equipment.
The cost of the Dail sitting in the Convention Centre is set to climb over €300,000 by next week, with three more sessions planned this week.
Sinn Fein TD Padraig MacLochlainn has written to the Dail’s Business Committee and pleaded with all political parties to come together to find a solution to getting the Dail back in Leinster House.
The Buncrana-based TD believes too much taxpayer’s cash is being spent on the makeshift sittings.
He told the Irish Sun: “We’re in a situation now where if we don’t get a bit of urgency, I am convinced we will be back in the Convention Centre through September and October or longer.
“I don’t believe this two metres rule is going to change too much by September and it’s €25,000 a day for the Convention Centre.
“We’re over €300,000 next week and you could see how very quickly you would be into half a million. When does that stop?
“We need to thrash it out and find a way of getting everything back to the Dail or at the very minimum being there just one day a week.
“This week is the final straw. We’re there three days this week.
“That’s €75,000 this week that will be spent on that.
“We have to pull together and try and sort this out once and for all.”
