A retired builder from Dublin has made a complaint to the gardai about the expenses claimed by Katherine Zappone, the minister for children and youth affairs, while she was a senator.

John Wolfe, a former member of Fianna Fail who has campaigned for more transparency around political expenses, claims Zappone took a longer route to Leinster House during her five years as a senator, allowing her to receive an additional €15,545 a year.

In March 2015, The Sunday Times reported that Zappone, then a senator, was receiving €20,795 every year from the Oireachtas on the basis that her home in south Dublin was between 25km and 60km from Leinster House. AA Route Planner calculates the journey at just over 21km. If Zappone had declared her