THE USE of the Government jet to fly Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey from Dublin to Derry for a speaking engagement and on to London cost €13,000 according to the Department of Transport.
Mr Dempsey has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ money and widely criticised for using both Government jet and his State car for the trip. He was flown to Derry on the Gulfstream IV jet where he was met by his Garda driver and ministerial car and driven just under 100km to Glenties, Co Donegal, to speak at the MacGill summer school last month. He then returned by car to Derry airport and flew on the jet to London.
Fine Gael communications spokesman Leo Varadkar said his own return flight cost €55 to speak at the same summer school.
The department said that by the time Mr Dempsey was finished at the debate, which started at 4 pm, there was “no commercial flight” he could have got from any Irish city to London for an urgent meeting at 7.15am the next day.
The London engagement “was about potentially securing very significant investment in Ireland” but no further details have been given about the meeting.
Ryanair said the Minister could have got an 8.10 pm flight from Belfast to London Stansted for €50 or a 9.55pm flight from Dublin to Stansted.
Mattie McGrath who has lost the Fianna Fáil whip, accused the Minister of behaving like “a latter-day prince”.
The commitment to the MacGill school had been given months beforehand but in the days before the July 19th debate, “he was requested to go to London on urgent Government business” on the 20th. “Rather than renege on his commitment by cancelling MacGill it was agreed he would travel to MacGill and onwards to London from Derry by Government jet,” the department said.
Mr Varadkar said it cost him €55 return “while it costs the taxpayer €7,890 to keep the Government jet in the air for an hour”.
Donegal Sinn Féin Senator Pearse Doherty, who spoke in the same MacGill debate, said “the Minister’s actions were particularly disgraceful given that he was travelling to Donegal to take part in a debate on the need to change political culture in Ireland”.
Donegal Labour councillor Frank McBrearty described the use of the Government jet to fly within the country as “inexcusable” when the Minister had a State car and two drivers.
Donegal North East Fine Gael TD Joe McHugh said the Minister’s transport choice was a missed opportunity for Donegal Airport and the local economy.
Last week the Government said it was reviewing its policy of investment in regional airports including Derry because of improvement in road and rail transport. The review is part of the revised infrastructure programme for the next six years.