Taxpayers footing €14m driving bill for TDs and President

Ms Burton believes the next general election will be “fought on trust”

Shane Phelan

THE provision of drivers and mileage expenses to ministers, the President and senior justice figures has cost the taxpayer €14.5m since the last General Election, new figures reveal.

However, the Government insists average transport costs for its 27 senior and junior ministers are just a third of what they were under the previous administration.

The bulk of the savings have arisen from the decision in 2011 to remove ministerial cars and garda drivers from most members of the Cabinet.

Instead they can hire up to two civilian drivers each, but must use their own cars.

For security reasons the President, Taoiseach, Tanaiste, Justice Minister, Chief Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions have all retained garda drivers and the majority of the spending disclosed - some €8.9m - related to those office holders.

However, former taoisigh and presidents, who were previously given a car and a garda driver for life, also lost the perk and can only avail of official drivers for significant State occasions.

The data, which covers the period from March 2011 to the end of last year, emerged after government departments responded to questions from Fianna Fail TD Willie O'Dea.

Tanaiste Joan Burton said that as a result of the measures, the average cost of providing ministerial transport had slumped from €280,000 per minister in 2010 to a current annual average of about €100,000.

Ms Burton's transport costs amounted to €183,450 up to the end of last year.

Transport costs for ministers vary wildly, depending on how far they live from Dublin and the nature of their portfolio.

At the higher end of the scale was former Small Business Minister John Perry, whose transport cost €337,445 up to the end of 2013.

This was made up of €211,742 in driver salaries and related costs and a further €125,703 in mileage and subsistence claims by the Sligo-North Leitrim TD.

In contrast, just €55,031 was spent on ministerial driving when Dublin Mid-West based Frances Fitzgerald was Minister for Children.

While the costs for several ministers was disclosed individually, those for Taoiseach Enda Kenny, former Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore and former Justice Minister Alan Shatter have been kept under wraps.

Ms Fitzgerald said those costs came out of garda funding and officers did not maintain records giving a breakdown of costs for each minister.