Ceann Comhairle stays silent on expenses

CEANN Comhairle John O’Donoghue was at his desk meeting constituents yesterday – but has yet to comment publicly on his recent expenses controversy.

Looking genial and relaxed, the Kerry South TD held a constituency clinic in his home town of Cahirciveen, Co Kerry.

But while he was talking to his constituents, Mr O’Donoghue has so far left it to others to explain some of the expenses he racked up during his five-year tenure as arts minister.

It emerged at the weekend that a limousine costing €472 was used to ferry Mr O’Donoghue from Terminal Three in London’s Heathrow Airport to Terminal One while he was minister – a journey which would have taken just minutes on the airport’s free shuttle service.

It was the latest in a string of revelations about Mr O’Donoghue’s travel bills over 2006 and 2007.

The bills, details of which were released under the Freedom of Information Act, included hotel rooms costing €990 a night in Cannes, a limousine hire in Berlin costing more than €2,400 and €250 for water taxis in Venice.

Mr O’Donoghue refused to comment on the issue when contacted by this paper after the story first broke last month, instead repeating several times that “all queries should be addressed to the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism”.

He has remained silent on the issue since, although Fianna Fáil colleagues have risen to his defence.

Junior Minister Conor Lenihan said this weekend that Mr O’Donoghue was the “last person in the world” who would demand lavish treatment while travelling. “He’s not the kind of man who takes an interest in that kind of stuff. He just goes from A to B and does his job,” Mr Lenihan said.

That echoed previous comments by another junior minister, Dick Roche, who said Mr O’Donoghue was a “very modest man”.

Former minister Mary O’Rourke said he carried out his work at the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism in a “very good way”.