Taxpayers face €32,000 bill for councillors' Chinese getaway

SIX Limerick county councillors and two senior council officials depart later today on a nine day junket to China which will cost taxpayers in excess of €32,000.

Flights alone will cost €24,000, according to figures released to the Irish Examiner yesterday by Limerick County Council. Hotel costs will be approximately €8,400.

One of the councillors going on the trip said it was important to build new links with China.

Those going on the China trip are council vice chairman, Cllr Michael Collins from Fianna Fáil; party colleagues Cllr Kevin Sheehan and Cllr John Gallahue; Fine Gael's Mary Jackman and Mary Harty; Brigid Teefy, from the PDs; Limerick county manager Ned Gleeson and director of planning Jimmy Feane.

The China delegation are due to depart from Shannon this afternoon. The County Limerick group will return on Wednesday, October 27.

Councillor Pat O'Donovan, the Fine Gael leader on the council got a private scolding from fellow councillors when he spoke out in public against the visit.

Sources say that he got a verbal lashing from other councillors. The council then issued a statement supporting the visit.

The county council said yesterday: "The itinerary for the visit is based on strengthening the links which were established with the Jiading District of Shanghai in 2002 and will incorporate a tour of the Kostal plant in Jiading."

The County Limerick group will also visit the Jiading District Congress and Changning District Congress. They will also meet with the Irish Consul General in Shanghai and the Irish Honorary Consul in Hong Kong.

"A number of local business and cultural links will also pursued," said yesterday's council statement.

In his attack on the visit, Mr O'Donovan said he would find it hard to explain the trip to his own people in Newcastle West where, he said, he could not secure funding to carry out hedge cutting.

Ms Jackman, a former Fine Gael senator who is visiting China, defended the trip, saying: "It is very important to develop links with Shanghai which is one of the fastest developing regions in the world."

Ms Jackman added that the contacts between County Limerick and the Jiading District Congress had been initiated by the Chinese and said that the councillors were responding to this.