Government jet costs reach €4.4 in three years since coalition came to power

The Government has spent €4.4 million on ministerial air transport since coming into office three years ago, with costs for the first quarter of 2014 reaching almost €385,000.

Figures published by the Department of Defence show the Government jets and helicopters were used on 15 occasions between the start of the year and March 20th last.

The highest costs related to a trade mission and a series of diplomatic engagements that saw Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister for Trade and Enterprise Richard Bruton travel to the Gulf region in January.

The cost of the use of the Gulfstream jet for the trip, which originated in Baldonnel and flew to Riyadh, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai before returning to Dublin via Brussels, stood at €81,317.

St Patrick's Day US visit
The second-highest running costs in the year to date relate to this year's St Patrick's Day visit to the United States by the Taoiseach. It included stops in Washington, Boston and White Plains and cost €80,127.

That was significantly less than the cost of the 2013 St Patrick’s Day US visit, when the €127,000 price tag was the largest bill accrued on the jet since the Coalition came into power in March 2011.

The 2013 US trip included stops in White Plains and Washington as well as Orange County and Burbank in California, and Seattle. The jet, which carried 15 passengers including the Taoiseach, stopped off in Edmonton in Canada before making its return flight to Ireland.

The Government used the jet on 218 occasions up to March 21st last.

Most frequent flier
The Taoiseach was the most frequent flier in that time, having used the ministerial transport service on 71 occasions, the first of which was a trip from Baldonnel to Brussels and on to Knock in his home county of Mayo on March 10th, 2011.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has used the jet 61 times since taking office, the most expensive of which was a €73,780 trip last year, with an entourage of five others, to Washington, where he met members ofcongress to lobby for support for new immigration legislation for about 50,000 undocumented Irish in the US.

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has used the jet 55 times since the Government came to power. More than two-thirds of these trips were to Brussels or involved a stop in the Belgian capital.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has used the jet 19 times since the formation of the Government, the most expensive of which was an official State visit to the Middle East that included stops in Beirut, Amman and Tel Aviv at a total cost of €64,260.

Many of the trips listed in the Department of Defence’s database saw two or more Cabinet members travel together.