Politicians & Wives

[Bizarra]

You may think that your shower in the UK are bad They are in the ha'penny place compared to ours :censor:

ws

Flynn's 'farming' wife rakes in state cash

Farm cost €47,000 but she's had over €200,000 in grants

By Michael Brennan

Wednesday June 09 2010

THE wife of former Fianna Fail minister Padraig Flynn has been paid more than €200,000 in state forestry grants after being designated as a 'farmer'.

Dorothy Flynn bought the 100-acre farm in north Mayo in 1997 for around €47,000.

She managed to qualify as a "farmer" on the land and as a result is set to receive almost €60,000 more in forestry grants. This was despite the fact that she has admitted she had never farmed the land near Killala in any meaningful way.

According to documentation released following a Freedom of Information request, Mrs Flynn first got an installation grant of around €65,000 from the Department of Agriculture in 1998 to cover the total cost of planting the land in Cloonanass with trees, fencing it and maintaining it.

She received a further installation grant of around €21,700 in 2002. Mrs Flynn has also received tax-free forestry premium payments worth more than €123,000 since 2000.

This brings the total amount she has claimed from the State for the 100-acre plantation to around €212,000.

She is entitled to receive annual forestry grants for the next 10 years -- which could earn her another €110,000 -- bringing her total earnings in state grants to €322,000.

Mrs Flynn has confirmed to the Mahon Tribunal that she bought the land without ever having seen it.

She also admitted she had never farmed it in any meaningful way. The Mahon Tribunal has suggested that the purchase of the land by Mrs Flynn was funded from the proceeds of the IR£50,000 (€63,500) donation given to her husband by the builder Tom Gilmartin.

The Irish Independent has obtained a copy of the document Mrs Flynn received to allow her to qualify as a 'farmer' on the land so that she could receive almost €60,000 more in grants under the afforestation scheme.

She had hay made on the land at a cost of IR£150 and paid income tax on the IR£1,100 profit she earned from selling it.

Because she had no other income, she therefore satisfied the scheme's conditions that at least 25pc of her income was from farming. That was enough to get the letter she needed from the Revenue Commissioners.

"Dear Madam, we wish to confirm that you have been assessed as the wife of Mr Padraig Flynn to income tax on farm income of IR£1,100 for the year ended April 5, 1998," a Revenue inspector wrote.

Payments

The Department of Agriculture said it accepted this letter "as proof that Mrs Dorothy Flynn met the criteria for (the) farmer rate of payment".

This meant that she was entitled to claim annual forestry grants worth up to 25pc more than those on offer for non-farmers and to receive the grants for 20 years -- compared to 15 years for non-farmers.

The extra five years of annual premium income alone is set to earn Mrs Flynn almost €60,000 more in the coming decade.

She will also be able to earn a windfall when the trees in the plantation are ready for felling in 25-30 years time.

A forestry expert estimated that, based on current returns of €8,000 per acre, the trees could be worth a total of €800,000.

Mrs Flynn will be entitled to apply for a 'forest road' grant, which could cover up to 80pc of the cost of installing a road in the plantation to facilitate the harvesting of the trees.

Her husband Padraig is receiving three pensions worth in excess of €150,000 every year. He received a ministerial pension worth €50,927 last year as well as a TD's pension of around €40,000. He is also receiving another pension worth at least €50,000 annually for serving as European Commissioner between 1993 and 1999.

Mrs Flynn received a further grant of €2,393 in 2006 to restock the forestry plantation. These 'reconstitution grants' were given out to replace trees that had failed or been damaged by wind or fire.

Around three acres of Mrs Flynn's forestry plantation were damaged in a suspected arson attack after its existence was publicly revealed at the Mahon Tribunal in 2004.

The Department of Agriculture updated the reconstitution grant scheme last year to exclude payouts for "fire or wind damage".

[Raistlin]

It's a tough job but someone has to do it...

I just wish it was me :D

[Bizarra]

It's a tough job but someone has to do it...

I just wish it was me :D

"It COULD be you!"

[Raistlin]

If only, my luck is not that Tree-mendos, being an Elder person you could have a try.

Get a couple of assistants, Holly or Hazel wearing Cherry lipgloss and have some Pussy Willow.

Yew know it makes sense

[Bizarra]

If only, my luck is not that Tree-mendos, being an Elder person you could have a try.

Get a couple of assistants, Holly or Hazel wearing Cherry lipgloss and have some Pussy Willow.

Yew know it makes sense

The curses of the Elders be upon Yew :hokus-pokus:

[Raistlin]

Your Larching from one bad Oak to another, I think you should Spruce up your material.

I'm not one to Crab but people will Pine if it does not improve...

[Bizarra]

Your Larching from one bad Oak to another, I think you should Spruce up your material.

I'm not one to Crab but people will Pine if it does not improve...

I Willow Yew one for that. I Pine to give you the Birch

[Raistlin]

Your Larching from one bad Oak to another, I think you should Spruce up your material.

I'm not one to Crab but people will Pine if it does not improve...

I Willow Yew one for that. I Pine to give you the Birch

Fir goodness sake, you are so Popular I feel like taking Hemlock as I have come to the end of the Lime...

[Bizarra]

Your Larching from one bad Oak to another, I think you should Spruce up your material.

I'm not one to Crab but people will Pine if it does not improve...

I Willow Yew one for that. I Pine to give you the Birch

Fir goodness sake, you are so Popular I feel like taking Hemlock as I have come to the end of the Lime...

Next Thyme I see Yew I'll Azalea With a Branch ! Twig ?

[Raistlin]

Your Larching from one bad Oak to another, I think you should Spruce up your material.

I'm not one to Crab but people will Pine if it does not improve...

I Willow Yew one for that. I Pine to give you the Birch

Fir goodness sake, you are so Popular I feel like taking Hemlock as I have come to the end of the Lime...

Next Thyme I see Yew I'll Azalea With a Branch ! Twig ?

Leave me alone you Sapling, only if my Root takes me past your Branch's will I be in danger otherwise you are Barking up the wrong Tree...

[Bizarra]

Your Larching from one bad Oak to another, I think you should Spruce up your material.

I'm not one to Crab but people will Pine if it does not improve...

I Willow Yew one for that. I Pine to give you the Birch

Fir goodness sake, you are so Popular I feel like taking Hemlock as I have come to the end of the Lime...

Next Thyme I see Yew I'll Azalea With a Branch ! Twig ?

Leave me only you Sapling, only if my Root takes me past your Branch's will I be in danger otherwise you are Barking up the wrong Tree...

TREEmendous, but did Yew mean to inFIR "alone" [Leave me only you Sapling,]? Lumberjack en Root, so Yew'd better Shoot off that Branch & Root YEWrself else where. Pith off! :lol2:

[Raistlin]

I am feeling Ashen Fir making that last error .

Maple I was typing too fast as I was Plum tired, what a Beech.

If you were closer I'd Box you or give you a good Birching but I can't see myself Rowan all that way...

[Bizarra]

Fly, or the Copse will Azalea Avenue got a Plane ?

Ok, Vine, stay Rooted & rest on Yewr Laurels among the Elders with Acorn on Yewr Palm :D

[Parts-King]

Yew two are barking, yew should both be sent away, maybe Cypress, I suggest you leaf by Dawn redwood, and don't larch around before you go! While yew're at it, take Olive with you, I know you will Pine for us whilst away, but tough, I can't Cedar woods for the trees with you two in here ;)

Kingo

[Raistlin]

Yew two are barking, yew should both be sent away, maybe Cypress, I suggest you leaf by Dawn redwood, and don't larch around before you go! While yew're at it, take Olive with you, I know you will Pine for us whilst away, but tough, I can't Cedar woods for the trees with you two in here

Kingo

It didn't take much to Oak you on Bud,

Still with all the smut here I'm sure you will have a Hornbeam ready to Leylandii or Holly as long as you have a Pear for after the Conference,

let's hope you don't make any strange Discovery's and you Pippins might start to rot.

So don't rest on your Laurels as this was a Privet discussion, careful now or my Dogwood bite you whilst I drink my Blackthorn...

[Parts-King]

I apple-aud your change of direction, but to be honest, this is getting on everyones pips, I'm no strongbow, but feel I might have to bonk you on the Brazil nut in a minute!!! I'm not violet, but feel like kicking someone in the Balsa's right now, my uncle Douglas Fir would tell anybody to Fig off, he was good at that, the salty old Cashew he was, mind you, Auntie Hazel was just as nutty!

Kingo

[Raistlin]

Kingo, this sounds like sour Grapes or Poison Ivy ,

Why are you Aspen for a Rowe, didn't you get your Honeysuckled at lunchtime or did you Soil your Creeper in your Palm,

Lets keep this in the Nightshade and see what Transpires...