€32k for Patrick’s Day US flights

Business-class flights for the Taoiseach and members of his staff for the annual St Patrick’s Day visit this year cost the taxpayer over €32,000.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act found €32,281 was spent by the Irish State for the transatlantic flights as well as internal flights in the US, as part of Leo Varadkar’s visit.

The Taoiseach and his staff flew from Dublin to Austin, then from Austin to Dallas, from Dallas to Washington, and finally from New York to Dublin.