A former Labour senator who earlier this year was found guilty of assaulting three gardai following his arrest outside the Indiependence Music Festival in Mitchelstown, is one of nine former TD’s who failed to return IT equipment to the Oireachtas after they lost their seats or left office.
In total, 15 pieces of IT equipment are recorded as outstanding from the offices of nine former TDs and senators despite requests to return the appliances. This was discovered following a Freedom of Information Act request from The Irish Times.
One-third of the equipment that has not been returned is listed as having been issued to former Labour Party senator James Heffernan.
Some of the outstanding inventory in his case include a laptop, printer, scanner and workstation.
Mr Heffernan lost the Labour whip in 2012, and later unsuccessfully stood as a general election candidate for the Social Democrats in 2016.
In response to queries on the outstanding IT equipment, Mr Heffernan is reported to have told those requesting the return of the equipment to “f*** off.”
According to Oireachtas records, other equipment not returned included a laptop and a tablet issued to former Fine Gael TD James Bannon.
Former Labour senator John Kelly is recorded as failing to return a laptop and scanner, and former Labour junior minister Ann Phelan a scanner provided to her office in 2014.
