Fás ran up Shelbourne Hotel bill of almost €24k in one day
In one single day last September, Fás managed to spend almost €24,000 at the exclusive hotel including two banquets costing more than €20,000 between them.
A round of drink for €1,322 and cosmetic services for €435 were among the items charged to the bill in the Shelbourne and claimed on the expenses of the state training agency.
Fás had booked five rooms for a period of two and a half weeks during the Science Challenge Week in October 2007.
The massive bill suggests a tab was left open and charged to Fás with regular lunch, dinner and drinks in the famous Horseshoe Bar and the Lord Mayor’s Lounge.
Guests of Fás charged minibar expenses, breakfast in bed (€26) and numerous drinks and meals to their rooms.
Details of the tips left to staff show a “gratuity” of nine cent was given in The Saddle Room of the Hotel where €72 was spent on lunch, wine and drinks. Another tip of 50c was left to workers in The Lord Mayor’s Lounge.
But staff at the hotel were not left short when, following one lavish meal, a service charge of €1,505 was paid on Fás expenses.
According to the Fás website, the Science Challenge Programme is a “unique collaboration with US institutions and companies” which offers young Irish people “unparalleled access to international experts, who can guide them in putting theory into practice in focus areas such as biosciences, engineering and information communication technology”.
The new expenses figures from the Fine Gael party also show that €36,000 was spent in January 2007 on five flights to Orlando by Fás officials including Owen Wills, Peter McLoone and Rody Molloy.
Earlier this week it emerged that Fás executives spent €643,000 on transatlantic travel over the past four years. This included beauty treatments in a nail bar and a round of golf in sunny Florida.
Fine Gael spokesman Leo Varadkar, last night questioned whether any government minister benefited from some of the gifts or services purchased on the Fás credit card.
“The person who received $410 worth of treatment in a Florida nail bar was not a Fás executive or their spouse. There are a limited number of options as to who might have benefited from this facility.
“One is that it was a client, the second that it was a student, the third that it was a minister travelling with a Fás delegation.
“The first two options seem unlikely as Rody Molloy stated that this service was used as ‘preparation’ for functions. This would suggest the more likely beneficiary was a minister,” he said.
How Fás spent almost €24,000 in one day at Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel.
Bill for 18/09/07
Dinner banquet: €8,100.
Banquet in meeting room: €9,100.
Banquet drinks round: €1,322.
Banquet service charge: €1,505.
Another drinks round: €642
Wine: €887
Minibar: €42.
Cosmetics: €435.
Rooms for 5 guests: €1,565.
Equipment rental for banquet: €260
Tip to bar staff: 9 CENT.
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