Tds tackle Brexit in london mission

Civil servants’ €6k hotel and mileage

HOTEL and travel costs for Leo Varadkar’s spin machine topped €6,000 for the Project 2040 launch.

A Freedom of Information request from the Irish Mirror revealed the accommodation bill for the 20-plus officials came to €2,532 while mileage claims came in at €3,523.25 for civil servants and officials who made the trip from Dublin to Sligo.

The FOI request also revealed they incurred “printing costs” of €420. A THREE-DAY visit to London for the Foreign Affairs Committee began yesterday – with Brexit on the agenda.

TDS Brendan Smith, Sean Barrett and Noel Grealish are fact-finding about the effects of Brexit on Ireland. Talks about the EU split took place on day one while today and tomorrow will be about engaging with Irish communities.

Mr Smith said: “We must redouble our efforts to maintain close working links and ensure awareness of the challenges.”