Manager defends €48k paid out in conference costs

PAYMENTS of €48,000 to councillors for attending three conferences were in accordance with departmental rates and agreed with the Environment Minister, a county manager has stated.

Clare county manager, Tom Coughlan, was responding to the state’s local government auditor, Thomas O’Callaghan.

In a report that went before the council yesterday, Mr O’Callaghan said that “The overall costs incurred for attendance at such conferences and whether value for money is being obtained by attending such events should be evaluated.”

Mr O’Callaghan did not disclose the conferences concerned. However, the council has published online records of the conferences attended by councillors in 2009. Members attended a total of 210 conferences and summer schools, many attending the same events.

The records show that 19 of the 32 councillors decamped to Letterkenny, Co Donegal, for Valentine’s weekend to attend the spring seminar of the Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland (AMAI).

The councillors clocked up over 7,220 miles making the 380-mile round trip to Letterkenny costing the tax and rate payer €14,944.

The councillors making the trip come from all parties and are listed as Joe Cooney (FG), John Crowe (FG), Christy Curtin (Ind), Pat Daly (FF), Paschal Fitzgerald (Lab), Oliver Garry (FG), Bernard Hanrahan (FF), Pat Hayes (FF), Patricia McCarthy (Ind), John McInerney (FG), Pat McMahon (FF), Brian Meaney (Green), Tony Mulcahy (FG), Richard Nagle (FF), Tony O’Brien (FF), Sonny Scanlon (FG), Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) and Colm Wiley (FF).

Another far-flung conference councillors travelled to en masse was a tourism conference at Dunadry, Co Antrim, costing €15,450.

It is a 530-mile round trip from Ennis to Dunadry and the records show that 17 councillors made the trip, clocking up an aggregate 10,070 miles.

Four councillors, Joe Cooney, Martin Conway (FG), John Crowe and Flan Garvey (FF) each received over €1,000 for attending the two-day conference.

Others councillors listed to have attended include Bill Chambers (FF), Peter Considine (FF), Pat Daly, Paschal Fitzgerald, Pat Hayes, Michael Kelly (FF), John McInerney, Pat McMahon, Brian Meaney, Richard Nagle, Tony O’Brien, Tom Prendeville (FF) and Madeleine Taylor Quinn.

Clare County Manager Tom Coughlan said the expenditure “was paid in accordance with agreed departmental rates as approved by the minister”.