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Government Wasteful Spending of Taxpayers' Money

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  • 16-04-2009 4:26am
    #1
    The Raven.
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,008 ✭✭✭


    Govt spent €1.6m using aircraft since Oct

    Government ministers have spent more than €1.6m using Air Corps helicopters and aircraft since last October's Budget.

    Figures released to RTÉ under the Freedom of Information Act show that of the 83 journeys undertaken, 25 were to and from destinations on the island of Ireland. 13 of those were by helicopter.

    70 of the trips were taken using the Government jet and three other fixed-wing aircraft, the other 13 were in Air Corps helicopters.

    The cost of each journey ranges from €7,890 an hour for the Government jet to €1,590 for the smaller of the two helicopters.

    The minister using the service most often was Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin with 24 journeys, followed by Taoiseach Brian Cowen who made 16.

    Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment Mary Coughlan took 11 flights, as did Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith, while Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern took eight.

    Of the 25 flights within Ireland, Minister Coughlan and Minister Martin each account for five, while Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey and Minister Ahern both used the helicopter three times.

    Minister for Health Mary Harney took the Learjet on domestic flights twice.

    http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0415/politics.html

    Is it really necessary for the government to spend this amount of taxpayers’ money on travel in the space of less than six months, since the October Budget, especially in the current economic climate? It is interesting that RTE had to get this news under the Freedom of Information Act. It seems unlikely that we would have been informed of it otherwise. What other wasteful spending are they not telling us about?

    I find this kind of government luxury-style living really hard to swallow, while they expect us to wear hair shirts and ride bicycles.


Comments

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    #2
    TWEEK1979
    Closed Accounts Posts: 56 ✭✭TWEEK1979


    Seriously, every day I hear something else about our incompetent, unjustly overpaid government that just makes my blood boil. If EVERYONE wants them out then why are they still sitting happily in the top spot?


    VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE ANYONE???


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    #3
    Scofflaw
    Registered Users Posts: 23,283 ✭✭✭✭Scofflaw


    TWEEK1979 wrote: »
    Seriously, every day I hear something else about our incompetent, unjustly overpaid government that just makes my blood boil. If EVERYONE wants them out then why are they still sitting happily in the top spot?

    Listening to the shouting it's easy to get the impression that "everyone" wants them out, but that's because those who do not want them out simply aren't shouting.

    It's not enough to listen to the noise of the crowd - you also have to listen to the silence.

    gnomically,
    Scofflaw


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    #4
    TWEEK1979
    Closed Accounts Posts: 56 ✭✭TWEEK1979


    Ok ok, fair enough, quoting "EVERYONE" was maybe an exaggeration.

    Honestly though, I cant remember the last time I heard a positive comment about our current leaders.


    Can you??


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