Junket to China tops €500,000 TD travel bill
Deputies and senators travelled far and wide on behalf of the taxpayer in 2005, according to information supplied to the Irish Examiner in response to a Freedom of Information request.
Among the more distant destinations non-ministerial parliamentarians visited last year were the USA, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, South Korea and Vietnam.
The total cost of foreign trips taken by delegations from backbench committees was €404,000 last year.
The figure does not include the trips taken by TDs on EU committees.
Nor does it include the cost of trips taken by the Irish Parliamentary Association (IPA), which often involve delegations of seven or eight Oireachtas members. For instance, eight TDs and senators from the IPA last month visited Nairobi for five days.
When this travel is taken into account, the total easily exceeds €500,000.
Foreign travel by backbench politicians has generated as much controversy in recent years as the annual St Patrick’s Day exodus by ministers.
An IPA delegation which visited Australia in 2004 was dubbed the Shiraz Seven by a sceptical media. While politicians contend that learning how other countries and cultures approach issues gives Irish politicians new and wider perspectives, critics point out that politicians seem to be inordinately interested in the most far-flung examples and say that some trips are out-and-out junkets.
The trip that arguably attracted most criticism in 2005 was the 14-day visit by four members of the Communication and Marine Committee to Argentina and Chile. Committee chairman Noel O’Flynn stoutly defended it, pointing to a packed itinerary, adding that all four TDs travelled economy class. The total bill came to just €18,000.
The most expensive trip was a 10-day trip to China by five members of the Justice Committee, including chairman Seán Ardagh, Charlie O’Connor and Denis O’Donovan (who also travelled to Argentina and Chile). It was billed as a bilateral exchange on judicial and legislative concerns. It cost almost €27,000.
That was marginally more expensive than an extravagant five-day trip to the US by five members of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Their trip to New York, Philadelphia and Washington cost €26,968.
The cheapest trip was to Edinburgh by Eamon Ryan of the Green Party, at €290 for three days — although this cost referred to flights only, and not hotel and subsistence costs.
AGRICULTURE
Where: Spain; five days.
Who travelled: (TDs unless indicated): Johnny Brady (FF), Niall Blaney (Ind), Denis Naughten (FG), Ollie Wilkinson (FF), Sen Eamonn Scanlon (FF).
How much: €8,160
Where: Hong Kong; four days.
Who travelled: Sen Noel Coonan (FG).
How much: €4,806.
Where: Tokyo; nine days.
Who travelled: Cecilia Keaveney (FF), James Breen (Ind), Jim Glennon (FF).
How much: €19,595.
Where: Ottawa, Canada; seven days.
Who travelled: Cecilia Keaveney (FF), Peter Kelly (FF), Brian O’Shea (Lab).
How much: €14,859.
Where: Argentina & Chile; 15 days.
Who travelled: Noel O’Flynn (FF), Peter Kelly (FF), Denis O’Donovan (FF), John Perry (FG).
How much: €18,313.
Where: Australia; eight days.
Who travelled: Michael Moynihan (FF), Tom McEllistrim (FF), Paul Gogarty (GP).
How much: €18,221.
Where: China; seven days.
Who travelled: Donie Cassidy (FF).
How much: €1,441.
Where: Hong Kong, China; six days.
Who travelled: Donie Cassidy (FF), Joe Callanan (FF), Phil Hogan (FG), Brendan Howlin (Lab).
How much: €26,549.
Where: Vietnam; seven days.
Who travelled: John Deasy (FG).
How much: €4,261.
Where: Israel & Palestinian Territories; six days.
Who travelled: Michael Woods (FF), Bernard Allen (FG), Pat Carey (FF), Michael D Higgins (Lab).
How much: €10,323.
Where: New York, Philadelphia and Washington; five days.
Who travelled: Michael Woods (FF), Bernard Allen (FG), Senators Paul Bradford (FG), Paschal Mooney (FF) and Mary O’Rourke (FF).
How much: €26,968.
Where: Hong Kong, China; eight days.
Who travelled: Michael Woods (FF), Tony Dempsey (FF), Noel Davern (FF).
How much: €16,147.
Where: Boston; 10 days.
Who travelled: Sean Ardagh (FF), Joe Costello (Lab), Sen Jim Walsh (FF), Sen Maurice Cummins (FG).
How much: €18,800.
Where: China; 1011 days.
Bilateral exchange.
Who travelled: Sean Ardagh (FF), Charlie O’Connor (FF), Sen Maurice Cummins (FG), Máire Hoctor (FF), Denis O’Donovan (FF).
How much: €26,994.
Where: USA; eight days
Who travelled: Michael Noonan (FG), Dan Boyle (GP), John Deasy (FG), John McGuinness (FF), Michael Smith (FF)
How much: €20,502.
Where: South Korea; six days.
Who travelled: Michael Finneran (FF), Donal Moynihan (FF).
How much: €9,625.
Where: South Africa; five days.
Who travelled: Noel
Davern (FF), Padraic McCormack (FG), Noel Grealish (PD).
How much: €18,017.
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