Fewer politicians than ever are using the Dail gym as figures revealed visits slumped to their lowest level last year.
TDs and senators worked out in the taxpayer-funded facility just 119 times. The well-equipped facility was fully open last year after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted but representatives seemed reluctant to shed any excess pounds piled on during the pandemic.
In 2019 – the last year when the gym was fully open – 349 sessions were made by politicians, a figure which was still lower than the previous two years. According to the latest data, 1,094 visits in total were made to the fitness room in 2022 but 975 of these were recorded by Leinster House staff.
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Closer analysis reveals April was the slackest month for politicians, with just one workout recorded by an elected representative. TDs and Senators at least started the year with good intentions 26 gym sessions were recorded in January – the joint highest in 2022, along with November. However, interest had all but vanished the following month, with just three sessions in February, rising to six in total in March.
The three months between July and September were also among the slackest, with just 14 sessions recorded by elected representatives, while December saw only four visits registered to the fitness room. Despite the low level of interest in the facility from TDs and Senators, taxpayers were still billed almost €53,000 for running the fitness room.
The figure includes payment for the provision of professional services, including two part-time staff, for the Kildare House-based facility, along with costs for equipment maintenance.
The 60 metre sq gym is kitted out with cardiovascular equipment, including four treadmills, two cross-trainers, two rowers and two exercise bikes. It also has extensive resistance-training equipment, dumbbells, adjustable benches and other multi-functional machines.
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