The Green Party lost out on €877,000 in State funding last year due to its poor results in the last round of Dáil and Seanad elections.
The party’s 16-strong Oireachtas presence was reduced to just one TD and one Senator after it took an electoral hammering following a period in a coalition government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Expenditure statements for the Greens have not yet been published by the State watchdog, Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo), but figures provided by the party to The Irish Times put its State funding at €417,000 for last year.
An unaudited figure provided by the Green Party suggested its funding fell by €877,000 in comparison to 2024.
“The sharp reduction in State funding has resulted in a reconfiguration of the party staffing levels and related activities,” it said.
Overall, political parties shared more than €15.7 million in State funding last year with most benefiting from a significant increase to their coffers due to the election results.
There are two streams of State funding: exchequer funding under the Electoral Act 1997 and the parliamentary activities allowance (PAA). Political parties qualify for exchequer funding once they receive at least 2 per cent of the first-preference vote in a general election.
The PAA is paid to registered political parties that have at least one TD or senator and payment levels are based on Oireachtas representation. There is also a PAA scheme for Independent TDs.
While seven of the parties that qualify for the allowances recorded increases in the sums received, People Before Profit-Solidarity also experienced a reduction after returning fewer politicians to Leinster House.
The party’s representation in the Dáil fell from five to three after the 2024 general election. It received €547,311 in State funding last year, down €90,724 on what was paid in 2024.
All of the parties that recorded an increase in funding won more Dáil seats in 2024 than they had going into the general election.
Government parties receive a reduced per-TD PAA payment due to the Civil Service support available to ministers.
The sums available through both State funding streams have risen over the years in line with general Civil Service pay increases.
Among the permitted uses for State funding paid to parties are general administration, research, training and policy formation. State funding cannot be used for election expenses.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
Sinn Féin continues to receive the most State funding of any of the parties, securing payments of €3,895,105 last year, an increase of €36,490 on 2024.
Fianna Fáil’s State funding came to a total of €3,856,415, up €274,319 on the previous year. Fine Gael last year received €3,632,285, an increase of €341,476 from 2024.
The Labour Party’s State funding amounted to €1,357,539, up €262,279 on the 2024 total. The Social Democrats received €1,316,063, up €529,612 on 2024 following strong election results.
Independent Ireland’s State funding expenditure statements have not yet been published by Sipo. It has four Dáil seats and received €701,265 in State funding last year, according to figures provided by its spokesman. This was €593,090 more than the combined €108,175 three of its TDs previously got under the PAA scheme for Independent TDs in 2024.
Sipo is yet to publish Aontú’s State funding returns and the party did not provide figures in response to requests from The Irish Times about the payments it received last year.
The sums received by Aontú would likely push the combined total of State funding provided to all qualifying political parties last year to more than €16 million.