FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny has accused the Government of “an outrageous abuse of the public purse” as it emerged that the 15 Cabinet members employ 216 constituency and private office staff at a cost of €10.5 million.
Figures released this week also show that travel costs for Government departments and some agencies within their remit amounted to just over €16.5 million last year.
And it emerged that the Cabinet and Ministers of State had estimated expenses since the formation of the Government in June 2007 of just over €1.83 million. This averages €34,000 a year per Minister, based on the figures supplied.
The statistics were released in written replies to a series of parliamentary questions. It emerged in December that the 20 Ministers of State employ 187 private office and constituency staff at a cost of €8.24 million.
Mr Kenny asked Taoiseach Brian Cowen and each Cabinet member the number of staff in their private and constituency offices and salary costs including overtime, expenses and allowances. In total the Cabinet has 140 private office staff and 76 constituency office employees.
Mr Cowen has 13 private office staff and seven employees in his constituency office costing €688,851. Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea has, with eight, most constituency staff and six private office employees costing an estimated €585,000.
Minister for Arts Martin Cullen has fewest staff, seven in his private office and three at constituency level costing €561,000, although this excludes press officer costs.
Staff costs for Minister for Health Mary Harney are highest at €1.09 million, including expenses for 11 private office staff and three constituency office employees.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley employs 15.5 including part-time staff, nine in his private office at a salary cost of upwards of €590,335. Staff expenses in his department last year amounted to €128,635.
Mr Kenny said: “Irish workers are being asked to stump up extra taxes, possibly a new property tax, to help prop up Fianna Fáil and Green Ministers in office.”
The €10.5 million for Ministerial support staff was “an outrageous abuse of the public purse” and it was “simply not credible for Fianna Fáil to expect the public to take even more harsh measures to solve the economic mess they created while costs like these remain untouched”.
Total departmental travel costs amounted last year to €16,571,324, which included costs such as €1.973 million for Defence Force personnel serving overseas and €2.1 million for embassy staff abroad.
Fine Gael TD Jim O’Keeffe said he submitted the travel cost question because of what emerged about Fás at the Public Accounts Committee. Ireland obviously had to be properly represented abroad, but “the number one priority is value for money for the taxpayer”. He said from now on there would be “close and careful scrutiny” of such expenses.
