Expenses scandal hits Irish Speaker

The speaker of Ireland’s parliament John O’Donoghue is to resign over an expenses scandal. Since taking office as Speaker in June, 2007, his foreign travel expenses have risen to 90,000 euros. O’Donoghue says he’ll hand in his resignation next week.

A member of the governing Fianna Fail party, he also spent more than half a million euros on travel while Tourism Minister between 2002 and 2007. O’Donoghue has been the subject of revelations by some Irish newspapers in recent weeks. It was disclosed that his ministerial expenses included a limousine between terminals at London’s Heathrow airport, while a stay in a Paris hotel cost 1,000 euros a night. He also courted controversy by employing ten people in his office, seven more than his predecessor.

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