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Charlie McConalogue’s insistence that he journey economic system when on Authorities enterprise abroad has stored his flight invoice for 2 separate commerce missions this yr to little over €3,500.
n February and April, the Minister for Agriculture accomplished commerce missions to the Center East and the US.
Figures just lately offered in a Dáil written response present that the overall invoice for the Minister’s eight flights from the 2 commerce missions to Dubai and Riyadh in February and the US in April was €3,533. The flight invoice for the four-day commerce mission to the Expo 2020 Dubai and Riyadh totalled €1,839.09, with the Dáil reply confirming Minister McConalogue travelled economic system class on all flights.
The flight invoice for the commerce mission to the US in April totalled €1,694.59. The Minister’s 4 economy-class flights associated to locations in Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, and Washington DC.
A one-way business-class seat from Dublin to New York JFK for the final Friday in September can vary in value from €1,694 to €2,844.
The figures offered additionally present that Minister McConalogue travelled to a European Council assembly in Luxembourg in June at his personal expense, and he paid out €279.89 for the flight.
A spokesman for the Division of Agriculture stated: “The Minister travels economic system on his request. It is a private resolution and applies to all flights for official duties.
“Officers travelling with the Minister additionally journey with the Minister in economic system.”
Relating to the flight to Luxembourg on the Minister’s personal expense, the spokesman stated: “The Minister travelled from a household break on to the month-to-month AgFish Council of Ministers’ Enterprise in Luxembourg. That is at the moment being reimbursed.”
One other instance of Minister McConalogue’s low-cost journey method is a €25.91 return flight from Brussels final December.
Lodging prices for the cost-conscious Minister counsel that he avoids luxurious lodge charges when on Authorities enterprise, as his lodging prices totalled €130 for an evening in Brussels in January, with an outlay on lodging costing €137.24 in March.
Minister’s McConalogue’s ‘economic system’ method to flying follows reviews final month of his Inexperienced Occasion Authorities colleagues, Minister Eamon Ryan and Minister Catherine Martin, utilizing business-class flights on official Authorities enterprise over the previous yr.
A spokesperson for Minister Martin stated on the time that the Minister’s use of enterprise class is “dictated by the calls for of the itinerary and is finished according to the Division’s coverage on journey”.
The spokesperson stated: “Premium economic system/enterprise class could also be used for long-haul flights the place the extra flexibility afforded is taken into account crucial for the efficient discharge of official enterprise or the place scheduled flying time exceeds 5 hours’ length.”
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