Ministers rack up €250k bill celebrating St Patrick’s Day all over globe
THE Government splashed out at least €250,000 sending ministers to the four corners of the Earth on the annual St Patrick’s Day jamboree.
That included more than €200,000 in flight costs – mostly business class – for transport to far-flung destinations from Australia to Argentina.
More than a fifth of the fees came from the large entourage that accompanied the Taoiseach to the United States for the annual visit.
The trip is chiefly remembered for Leo Varadkar’s embarrassing remarks about helping Donald Trump find out about a wind farm near his golf course in Doonbeg, Co. Clare.
The flight bill from the Department of the Taoiseach came to €42,095 for no less than nine transatlantic flights for Mr Varadkar, his adviser, press secretary, security and several others from his department.
Leo’s flight – with United Airlines outbound to Washington DC and home from New York – ended up totalling €5,412.
The department also splashed out €1,339 on gifts including €150 for a bodhrán, €350 for the traditional shamrock bowl, and €19.99 for a book – 18 Greatest Irish Golf Holes.
Also packed for handing out on the trip were several Irish rugby jerseys, an international soccer jersey, four Donegal GAA jerseys and a range of wallets, scarves, and ties.
The most expensive flights were those for Junior Minister Jim Daly and his special advisor to New Zealand. Mr Daly flew with Emirates to Auckland through Dubai and Perth in business class, with the original ticket costing €5,443. The fare included an economy class flight from Auckland to Perth.
However, the seven-and-ahalf hour journey with Air New Zealand was subsequently upgraded to business at a cost of €975, bringing the tab for the two flights to €6,418 each.
Transport for Tánaiste Simon Coveney’s journey to China and Hong Kong was also costly, coming in at €5,989 per person for the delegation of three that travelled from Dublin.
The Foreign Minister flew business class with Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong and went with KLM via Amsterdam on the way home. He stayed at the five-star St Regis in Beijing for three nights, accommodation described as ‘one of the finest expressions of hotel luxury’.
The room bill came to around €654, which included an ‘incidental charge’ of €91.
In Shanghai, the Irish delegation checked into the five-star Portman Ritz-Carlton while in Hong Kong they overnighted at the five-star Conrad. Meanwhile, under-pressure Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy travelled to Korea and Japan with his business-class Emirates flights costing €3,370. His ‘premier suite’ at the five-star Plaza Hotel in Seoul was just €126 per night. Other bills included €2,107 for transport hire, €94 for name cards and €347 for gifts including a necklace and ten pens.
Flights for Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe didn’t come cheap either with his British Airways business class trek to Argentina costing €5,649.
He was accompanied by two officials with the total costs coming to just under €17,000.
Mr Donohoe stayed at the five-star luxury Four Seasons in Buenos Aires where his bill came to €782, including €46 for laundry and dry cleaning.
There were no travel bills in Transport as Minister Shane Ross stayed behind.
€200k went on flights, mostly business class