Martin’s smoke ban trip cost €24,979

ALMOST €25,000 of taxpayers’ money went towards financing Health Minister Micheál Martin’s trip to New York to assess the effectiveness of the smoking ban.

According to information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Medicine Weekly, the minister and five officials from his department racked up the €24,979 bill on the four-day trip, which also took in an excursion to Washington.

The minister’s entourage included Chief Medical Officer Dr Jim Kiely, Secretary General Michael Kelly, the minister’s special advisor, private secretary and press officer.