Judges had hit out hard against proposed changes to expenses
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The Association of Judges of Ireland (AJI) was strongly opposed to abandoned proposals to change expenses rules for judges, The Irish Times reports.
Documents released under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request show judges wrote to the Department of Public Expenditure over plans to only permit an overnight allowance claim for judges who travelled 100km or more from home.
They said changes to overnight allowance would mean judges were likely to “rise at 4pm to get home at a reasonable time”.
The judges also warned that if hearings were adjourned due to court lists not being concluded by 4pm, then “it is an absolute certainty that the cost to the State will in fact be many times any savings in the expenses paid to the judge”.
The proposals were to increase overnight rates from €109 to €125 per night, but to increase the distance at which a judge becomes eligibile for the payment from 48km to 100km.
The changes were eventually implemented for other civil and public servants from July 2015, but judges were exempted.
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