UNPAID Dáil bar bills are to be written off because there is "no realistic prospect" of them being paid.
A report by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission said the amount owed was "very small in the overall context of the bar and restaurant receipts" but did not reveal the figure.
A revised credit policy will make clear to TDs and Senators how much time they have before their bills must be paid.
Representatives have access to a coffee shop, two bars and two restaurants, including a bar and restaurant reserved only for politicians.
In a statement, the Houses of the Oireachtas said the "majority of the write-offs were technical and a book-keeping tidy-up of the old accounts over many years".
"There was minimal loss to the exchequer. Many of the amounts outstanding were old with no reasonable chance of settling the account," it said.
After a full audit of outstanding food and drink bills, the commission said: "A series of efforts had been made to recover the sums due but in some cases it was acknowledged that the records were incomplete.
"Overall there was no realistic prospect of recovery of the sums due."
