THE COSTS of flights and accommodation for Ministers travelling to high-profile events abroad “invariably involve a high premium”, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism has said in a statement.
Commenting on the expenses incurred by John O’Donoghue, former minister for tourism and now Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil, the department said “every effort is made to secure the best possible rates” for Ministers and their delegations. The statement was in response to a Sunday newspaper report that documents released under the Freedom of Information Act showed Mr O’Donoghue, his wife Kate Ann and his private secretary, ran up a travel bill of more than €100,000 over a period of two years.
Among the listed items of expenditure were a series of €900-a-night hotels, €9,616 for car hire in Cannes, €120 for hat rental in London, €250 for water taxis in Venice and €80 in India “for moving the luggage”.
On a four-night visit to the Venice Biennale art exhibition in 2007, the former arts minister, his wife and the department official ran up hotel bills of €5,834. The water taxi to and from the airport cost €250.
On a visit to Cannes in May 2006 for the annual film festival, Mr O'Donoghue stayed in the Hotel Montfleury in Cannes at a cost of €990 a night and a total bill of almost €5,000. Car hire for that trip came to €9,616, according to the figures cited by the Sunday Tribune.
A limousine in Berlin where Mr O’Donoghue was attending a World Cup soccer game cost €2,436, while his official’s hat rental as “per dress code at official function” during a visit to London cost €120.
During a two-day stay at the Hotel Le Bristol in Paris in 2006, Mr O’Donoghue and his wife ran up a bill of €1,943.80. Limousine hire during a trip to the UK for St Patrick’s Day came to €8,843. A visit to India included a claim of €80 by the official for tips “forked out to the Indians for moving the luggage around airports, hotels etc”.
Asked to comment on the figures yesterday, the department said: “Ministers, given the nature of the brief, travel abroad to high-profile events, such as the Venice Biennale, the Olympics, the World Cup matches, all of which are regarded as contributing to the promotion of Ireland as a tourism destination and a venue for international sports events. The costs of flights and accommodation for such events invariably involve a high premium worldwide.
“In relation to the procuring of accommodation and car hire, every effort is made to secure the best possible rates for the Minister and the delegation. The cost of facilities at airports relates to fees charged at a standard rate.”
Tourism development and promotion was “one of the key objectives of the department”. The tourism sector was “underpinned by the arts and sports sectors, which also serve to enhance the tourism product”.
“Given the nature of the arts, sport and tourism brief, it is customary and necessary for the Minister to attend major events in Ireland and abroad. International marketing is regarded as an essential activity in the attraction of tourists to Ireland.”
A spokesman for Mr O’Donoghue declined to comment.
