Soc Dems may give departing Donnelly €65k

Party agrees former leader is entitled to a third of funding

Former Social Democrats leader Stephen Donnelly Pic: RollingNews.ie

The Social Democrats are prepared to hand over nearly €65,000 in state funding to former leader Stephen Donnelly despite his acrimonious resignation from the party.

The Wicklow TD quit the party he co-founded last week, citing difficulties with the three-person leadership structure that included the SocDems’ two other TDs, Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall.

The SocDems are entitled to €193,104 a year or €16,092 per month under the parliamentary activities allowance, which is ...