The Minister of State for Health, Mr Tim O'Malley, yesterday defended his expenditure on travel, which has reached €149,076 since the Government was formed last year.
New figures showed the Progressive Democrat's Limerick East TD had claimed more travel expenses than any other Junior Minister since the Government was re-elected. A PD spokesman said the mileage claims arose from travel incurred while fulfilling ministerial duties.
"All of his claims were up to date while other Ministers of State were not," the spokesman said. He added: "Minister O'Malley's claims are proportionately in line with his fellow Ministers of State at the Department of Health as he is resident in Limerick and they are both Dublin-based." The two Ministers of State for Health are Mr Ivor Callely and Mr Brian Lenihan. Mr Callely claimed €118,231 in travel expenses and Mr Lenihan claimed €113,665, according to figures published on Thursday.
Mr Callely's mileage costs were €28,569 and Mr Lenihan's were €24,225. Those paid to Mr O'Malley were €43,252.
Mr O'Malley's €92,731 claim for drivers' expenses included €26,300 for a driver absent from work due to illness. Figures supplied in response to parliamentary questions from the Sinn Féin TD, Mr Séan Crowe, showed that the 17 Ministers of State have spent €1.6 million on travel since the Government was formed.
There is no time limit placed on when such Ministers of State can claim travel expenses so the €1.6 million is likely to be an under-estimation of the ultimate expenditure. In addition, not all of the figures in the responses to Mr Crowe were strictly comparable. Mr O'Malley's constituency colleague, the Junior Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Willie O'Dea, was listed as claiming €31,844.
This included mileage expenses of €16,493, but did not include weekly salary payments of €473.54 paid to two drivers.
While the Minister of State for Labour Affairs, Mr Frank Fahey, claimed €11,804 in mileage from a total claim of €95,277, such mileage expenses were incurred between mid-June and the end of October last year. This means that Mr Fahey's mileage expenses for almost one year are still outstanding.
The €43,313 paid to the Minister of State for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr John Browne, referred only to mileage expenses.
Figures for drivers' salaries and subsistence were not included.
