Former executives at the defunct State training agency FÁS refunded only €800 out of a total of €30,000 spent on flights for their spouses, a new report has revealed.

The Department of Education compiled a new report on the flights at the request of the Dail Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

It said “17 instances where FÁS paid the travel expenses of the spouses of officials or board members on official foreign trips during the period 2002 to 2008” had been identified.

It found former director general Rody Molloy claimed his wife was representing the company when she travelled with him. Of the 17 trips instanced, 16 were for Mr Molloy and another executive, while the remaining one was in respect of a board member.

“The total amount paid for the flights for officials, board members and their spouses came to €63,070.86,” the report said.

“The total cost attributed to spouses amounted to €29,905.95. This is based on actual expenditure, where available, and on an estimate based on 50 per cent of the total cost of the air fare recorded for the remainder of the trips.

“A total of €823.57 was refunded in respect of these flights by the former director general and assistant director general in respect of travel by their spouses, leaving a net figure of €29,082.38. Travel to Florida on the Government jet was availed of on one occasion in July 2004.”

The report said it could be reasonable to assume the “officials concerned” felt the remainder of €30,000 was “justified and a legitimate charge on the State”. However, the report found the costs “were not an appropriate charge on the State”.

The destinations include New York, Orlando, Boston, Washington, New York, Honolulu, amongst others.

Another former official added €1,406 to extend an official trip to Tokyo to additional destinations for non-official purposes with his wife.

The Department of Education said a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of 20 State agencies found 18 of them paid for flights for spouses, with some reimbursements from a total of €1.5 million. It said the bulk of these were short-haul flights. The FÁS flights were mainly long-haul, with an average cost in excess of €1,700.

“No documentation has been provided to justify the FÁS senior officials’ spousal travel involved in this period. In the circumstances the Department does not consider that the payments involved are an appropriate charge on the State.”

The new report said Mr Molloy “suggested that his spouse was invited to attend” some functions and “was in fact representing FÁS”.

“Invitations may have been received, however there is no documentation available to support that this is the case.”