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Should taxpayers be funding the new €190,000 Dáil fitness instructor?

A tender has been sent out to find a fitness instructor to help keep TDs, Senators and staff at Leinster House in shape
Jack Quann
Jack Quann

16.22 26 Sep 2024


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Should taxpayers be funding th...

Should taxpayers be funding the new €190,000 Dáil fitness instructor?

Jack Quann
Jack Quann

16.22 26 Sep 2024


Share this article


A fitness instructor is being sought to help keep TDs, Senators and staff at Leinster House in shape.

The four-year contract has been estimated to cost the taxpayer of €188,640.

The professional fitness instructor would offer one-on-one training and the provision of group classes in the Oireachtas Fitness Room.

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Caller Sean told Lunchtime Live he thinks it's a fair service to offer.

"This is something that has cropped up before back in 2019 when there was an FOI done," he said.

"It found that there were 4,000 instances in which the gym provided by the Oireachtas was used... less than 10% of those uses were actually by politicians.

"In the vast majority of the cases it was just ordinary office workers."

Sean said he thinks the money would be well spent.

"There's lots of ways that are taxes can be spent which are quite frankly pretty stupid - we're seeing that when it comes to bike sheds [and] security huts," he said.

"We've so far spent more on the Metro in Dublin than India spent sending a rover to the far side of the Moon.

"I think when it comes to something that's making office worker's lives a bit better, I don't think that's a stupid way of spending it.

"I'm more than happy to see my taxes go towards making an ordinary person's life better".

 

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Sean said politicians likely find it difficult to stay fit because of "long hours and a lot of it is sitting down".

Senator Mary Seery-Kearney told the show it's not just for TDs and Senators.

"I absolutely don't begrudge free access for all of the staff in Leinster House," she said.

"They do work very long [and] very unsocial hours - it's reasonable that they have a gym on the campus and that they have free access to it in the same way as an employer perk".

Senator Seery-Kearney said she doesn't think it should include personal trainers.

"It wasn't until I read the headlines this morning that I was aware that this was a supervised gym with a personal trainer in it at all," she said.

"It has never occurred to me to go to the gym - if I want to go to the gym I'll do it outside of Leinster House in my own personal time.

"Similarly, I have a hybrid car, I've never plugged it in in Leinster House - I do that in my own home at my own expense.

"Personally, I think because I'm a Senator… I don't feel that I have entitlements while I'm there, I'm there to do a job".

'There is no issue'

Clinical physiotherapist Stephanie Regan said anything to encourage physical fitness is welcome.

"My broader view would be that anything that promotes health and well-being is to be welcomed," she said.

"The workplace is a really good place to catch people for that and to promote physical activity.

"Many organisations do provide services and they do provide them free at the point of use to all staff.

"To me there is no issue, I have to say".

Ms Regan said other business could learn from the Oireachtas example.

"I think there's an opportunity here to say this is a model - you expect people who are leading in many ways to be dealing with the best practice and doing things in the best way.

"If they can lead on that, I don't see anything negative."

She added that the money is "really a very small amount" in Government spending terms.

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Fitness Instructor Leinster House Lunchtime Live Mary Seery Kearney Oireachtas Fitness Room Senators Stephanie Regan TDs Taxpayer

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