Donegal’s Minister of State, Dinny McGinley has defended claims that his transport costs was more than €100,000 for last year.
The Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, issued a statement to Donegal Daily in which he denied his travel costs were €129,414.
Minister McGinley stressed his travel costs were actually in the region of €118,000 but stressed that all this money did not go to him directly.
He said the bulk of the costs were made up of the salaries and expenses for his two drivers.
“Recent reports on the cost of transport for Ministers need to be clarified. In respect of my position at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, my total transport costs for 2012 amounted to approximately €118,000 last year. However, this does not mean that this was paid to me directly. The bulk of this figure is made up by the salary and expenses for two drivers.
“Of the total amount of €118,000, my mileage and other travel costs amounted to €25,691 in 2012.”
When it came into office this Government reviewed ministerial transport and it was decided that state cars would only be provided for An Taoiseach, An Tanáiste and the Minister for Justice & Defence.
The other members of cabinet now use their own car similar to the practice that applies to Ministers of State. It is understood from the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform that the new arrangements for ministerial transport will save the exchequer in the region of €4m per annum when contrasted with the former practice whereby each cabinet minister was provided with a state car and 2 drivers from An Garda Siochána.
Tags:
