The Green Party has criticised the travel arrangements of Tánaiste Michael McDowell for a visit he made to Cork last Friday.
Mr McDowell used the Government jet to fly to Cork airport, where he was picked up by his State car which had travelled from Dublin earlier in the day.
He was then taken by car to the Great Southern Cork Airport hotel less than a mile away, where he attended the regional launch of the register of the Private Security Authority of Ireland. After the launch Mr McDowell was taken by the car to a hotel, four miles away, to attend a PD fundraising function. He returned later that night by Government jet to Dublin.
A spokeswoman for the Minister said the jet was required because the Minister had been speaking on criminal justice legislation in the Dáil that afternoon.
However, Green party environment spokesman Ciarán Cuffe said Mr McDowell "should be ashamed of requiring that his car travel from Dublin to Cork for the sole purpose of a five-minute trip".
"Could he not have taken a Garda car?," he asked.
Mr Cuffe said his party was not against the use of the Government jet, but said it should only be used for essential Government business, when no other option was available.
"I don't think anybody could say that attending a regional launch of the Private Security Authority and a PD fundraiser is essential Government business."