Travel costs mount as COP 27 delegation criticised for ‘damaging credibility’ of climate change cause
Bill for Ireland’s 55-strong team to top €100,000 while eco summit dismissed as little more than a ‘climate version of the Eurovision’
THE size of the Irish Government’s 55-strong delegation to COP27 climate summit in Egypt was criticised as excessive as provisional travel costs of more than €100,000 began to emerge.
Last night – after four weeks of inquiries from the Irish Mail on Sunday – a spokesperson for Environment Minister Eamon Ryan confirmed eight members of his department attended the summit.
These included Minister Ryan, his department principal officer Niall McLoughlin, assistant secretary Brian Timothy Carroll, legal advisor Martin Timothy Collins, press advisor Edel Hackett as well as officials Tara Donohoe, Emer Griffin and Stacy Wrenn.
Mr Ryan’s special advisor, Paul Kenny, was initially on the department’s preliminary delegate list, but a spokesperson for the minister said his chief of staff travelled instead.
The spokesperson also confirmed flights for Mr Ryan’s departmental delegation cost €12,900. They were unable to provide details of the cost of the group’s stay at the five-star Rehana Royal Beach Resort in Sharm el-Sheikh, but said these would be made ‘available in due course’.
Four weeks ago, a spokesperson for Mr Ryan said they could not provide costings for his flight to the Egyptian resort because his travel arrangements were not finalised.
When asked this week if the flights and accommodation arrangements for the minister’s delegation were booked well in advance ‘to ensure value for money’, the department said: ‘Arrangements for accommodation for the entire Irish delegation were managed by the Embassy of Ireland in Egypt, which liaised with Global Conference Management. Global Conference Management was appointed by Egypt to manage COP27 logistical issues, including centralised hotel reservations for foreign delegations. Ireland’s original booking enquiry was submitted to Global Conference Management last April and the booking was confirmed for the delegation in July.’
However, figures now emerging from departments and State agencies indicate each travelling member of the Irish delegation is likely to have incurred travel and accommodation costs of between €1,500 and €3,000 each.
Initial figures, which do not include subsistence and other allowances, were released in a Parliamentary Question (PQ) to Independent TD Carol Nolan this week.
The Laois-Offaly TD said the scale of the State delegation to the COP27 summit has ‘damaged the credibility’ of the climate change case. And she said the event ‘has turned into the climate version of the Eurovision, with fixed voting and predetermined outcomes’.
The figures provided to Deputy Nolan confirm no fewer than seven Government departments sent delegates to Egypt. These included 11 from the Department of Environment, two from the Department of Finance, 10 from the Department of Foreign Affairs, two from the Department of Housing, one from the Department of Agriculture and two from the Department of Health.
Six delegates from the Department of the Taoiseach also travelled, including Taoiseach, Micheál Martin and the Government Press Secretary, Paul Clarkson.
The Taoiseach’s two-day visit cost €4,441 in flight and vaccinations for those travelling, but hotel costs have not yet been calculated.
However, the only department to have finalised its full travel costs so far is the Department of Agriculture, which sent one person – an agricultural inspector – to Sharm el-Sheik. Flights and accommodation for this individual cost €2,800.
Nine of the 55-strong Irish delegation were already present as embassy staff in Cairo, meaning 46 officials, Government ministers and advisors ultimately travelled from Ireland. Provisionally, this will have cost
‘Mr Ryan’s departmental delegation cost €12,900’
between €70,000 and €126,000 in flights and accommodation, based on the figures now emerging.
Despite repeated questions from the MoS in recent weeks, the Department of Environment has not released any information about costs, airlines and hotels used –- or whether or not flights and accommodation were booked well in advance to ensure value for money.
In contrast, the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) – which is funded by the Department of the Environment – was able to provide a full breakdown of hotels, flights and booking arrangements.
The CCAC was one of five Statefunded bodies that also formed part of the Irish delegation. Other such bodies included the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Youth Council and Met Éireann.
In response to queries from the MoS, the CCAC confirmed four of its officials travelled to Sharm el-Sheik. These are Marie Donnelly, Cara Augustenborg, George Hussey and Claire Camilleri. A fifth, Professor Morgan Bazilian, had to pull out, incurring a cancellation fee for accommodation of €200.
These flights and hotel accommodation – at the five-star Rehana Royal Beach Resort in Sharm el-Sheik and during stopovers at Gatwick – cost €6,142.
According to a breakdown of these costs, flights from Gatwick to Egypt cost between €618 and €714 each, with hotel stays in Sharm el-Sheik costing €784 to €941 each.
The EPA – which is also funded by the Department of the Environment – sent four officials – Katherine Dooley, Frank McGovern, Conor Quinlan and Mary Francis Rochford
‘Irish teams stayed at five-star beach resort’
– spending €3,298 on flights.
‘As Chief Climate Scientist, the EPA’s Frank McGovern spent the two weeks at COP27,’ a spokesperson confirmed.
‘Frank was involved in meetings and negotiations in areas of Climate Science on behalf of Ireland and the EU delegation, focusing in particular on the topics of the Global Stock Take and Periodic Review. Frank McGovern was supported in this work by his team member Katherine Dooley, Climate Scientist.’
The EPA team also stayed at the Rehana Royal Beach Resort and it is expecting costs of approximately €150 a night per person.
‘To achieve best value, accommodation was arranged as part of the Irish delegation group booking made through the Department of Foreign Affairs via Department of Environment Climate Change and Communications with costs to be recouped from the EPA,’ a spokesperson added.
In response to Ms Nolan’s queries, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien confirmed two Met Éireann staff from his department attended COP27.
‘The costs incurred from this travel to date, is approximately €4,320 in respect of flights, hotels, transfers,’ he said.
‘Given that the conference has finished just recently, it is expected these costs will increase slightly when the officials input their respective travel and subsistence claims.’
Minister of State Colm Brophy confirmed 10 officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs travelled from Ireland at different times
‘The EPA spent €3,980 on flights for four people’
over the two weeks of the conference, while nine members of the staff of the Embassy in Cairo, including the Ambassador, attended all or part of the summit.
‘While the total costs relating to official participation in COP27 have not been fully compiled, I can confirm that the costs for travel from Ireland by Ministers and officials representing the Department of Foreign Affairs amounted to €10,343,’ he said.
Neither the Department of Finance nor the Department of Health have yet compiled their final costs.
A Finance spokesperson said: ‘All travel undertaken by DF officials is undertaken in accordance with the prevailing guidelines and this travel is funded by the Department which is the normal practice for international travel.’