O’Donoghue Spent €13,000 On Car Hire

Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue has disclosed information of all the expenses he claimed since his appointment two years ago.

The figures indicate that some €45,000 was spent on travel abroad, €13,000 for car and limousine hire, and just under €5,000 spent on VIP lounges over the last two years.

Earlier this month, Mr O’Donoghue promised to release details of his expenses with a view to allow more transparency in his office.

That pledge comes after controversy over the level of expenses that had been claimed by the Kerry South TD when he was Minister for Arts Sports and Tourism.

He has now maintained his promise with a large file of receipts and claims that have been made feely available to the media.

The documents attract attention of a €13,000 bill for limousine and car hire abroad, some of which involved transfer between airport terminals.

According to the Houses of Oireachtas, the spending was all within official guidelines.

Traditionally, one of the roles of the office of Ceann Comhairle was frequent official functions abroad, but given the current economic situation, many may frown upon his latest disclosure.