ABOUT €10,900 was spent on just over 170 seats on flights between Dublin and Kerry for Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue and his wife in the last two years.
The costs of domestic travel arrangements paid on behalf of the Ceann Comhairle “and his accompanying spouse” on official travel from June 15th, 2007, until July 6th, 2009, were among the details of expenses released to the media yesterday evening.
On top of the €10,909.14 for 174 flights, service charges of about €1,700 were paid. This was the fee paid to a travel agent for organising the flights, according to a spokesman for the Oireachtas, who said this was standard practice in all Government departments.
In many cases, the reason given for taking the flights was to attend or to return from attending official functions and Dáil sittings. Mr O’Donoghue is entitled to a State car and a driver. As he is provided with a State car, he is not entitled to any mileage allowances.
A small number of flights between Cork and Dublin were also recorded. A booked flight from Galway to Dublin was not taken.
Mr O’Donoghue spent more than €13,000 on advertising in local newspapers and publicity post in the same period. This was revealed in a document detailing allowances and expenses paid to the Ceann Comhairle from June 2007 to June of this year.
The costs of advertising were covered by Mr O’Donoghue’s special secretarial allowance (SSA). All Oireachtas members are entitled to an SSA to meet the costs arising from the purchase of secretarial equipment and services in connection with their parliamentary duties.
When the SSA is used for advertising constituency clinics, only the clinic and not the party can be advertised.
An item described as “spreadsheet”, which cost €27,413.70 between 2007 and 2009, was listed under the miscellaneous expense allowance [MEA]. The Ceann Comhairle is paid the MEA at the annual ministerial rate of €12,000. Any expenditure incurred above the allocated miscellaneous expense allowance rates must be met by the individual members.
A total of €32,920 was covered by the constituency telephone allowance in the period.
Meanwhile, two bottles of whiskey are itemised in the documentation: a €30 bottle was a gift for a Japanese delegation and a €24.99 bottle was a presentation to the Oireachtas Golf Society.
Mr O’Donoghue spent €1,177.55 last year and €1,046.95 in 2007 on a Christmas dinner for TDs who occasionally stand in for him to chair Dáil proceedings.
To assist him in the discharge of his parliamentary duties, the Ceann Comhairle nominates a panel of temporary chairmen and women from the membership of the Dáil. The panel consists of Jack Wall, Jan O’Sullivan, Séamus Kirk, Joe Costello, Brian O’Shea, Seán Ardagh, Johnny Brady, Kathleen Lynch, Charlie O’Connor, Noel O’Flynn, Cyprian Brady, Michael Kennedy and John Cregan.
On December 12th, 2007, an event described as the “annual Christmas dinner” for the panel took place at a cost of €1,1046.95.
On September 17th, Mr O’Donoghue said he was “sorry” about the costs of his foreign travel arrangements in his previous role as a government minister and described the costs as “considerable”.
He then said the records of all travel and accommodation costs incurred and paid since he was elected Ceann Comhairle would be placed in the Dáil library “as soon as practicable”.
