SPENDING ON Ministerial transport has been reduced by €1.97 million a year as a result of the Government’s decision to end the practice of all Ministers being entitled to use State cars.
Figures supplied by 14 of the 15 Government departments show that while transport costs for the 15 Ministers of State have remained largely unchanged, there has been a dramatic reduction in the travel costs of senior Ministers. The figures, adjusted to allow for annualised comparison, show that the overall cost of ministerial transport fell from about €5.24 million in 2010 to just over €3 million in 2011, a fall of about 39 per cent.
The decrease in costs is significant but the percentage is less than the 65 per cent claimed by Government, which based its comparison on the new regime for senior Ministers, rather than the wider metric of all 30 senior and junior Ministers.
When the new Government assumed office last year, only three of the 15 Ministers, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and Minister for Justice Alan Shatter, retained their State cars and Garda drivers.
The remaining 12 Ministers were asked to supply their own cars with the Exchequer paying for two part-time civilian drivers.
The cost reduction is dramatic for some senior Ministers. The estimated cost of each Ministerial State car has been put at €280,000 a year.
Several Ministers operating under the new arrangement, notably Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton and Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald, spend a little over 25 per cent of that total.
However, in the Department of Arts the transport costs for Minister Jimmy Deenihan and Minister of State for the Gaeltacht Dinny McGinley would work out, on an annualised basis, at €140,000 each, including the salaries of their drivers.
The Minister for Health James Reilly was the only Minister who did not supply figures.
The information was provided on foot of parliamentary questions submitted to each Minister by the Labour TD for Dublin Mid West, Robert Dowds.
Mr Dowds said the figures showed that the Government had made substantial savings in transport in the last year.
“I am very pleased. It amounts to about 65 per cent of the previous cost, by discontinuing the use of State cars and Garda drivers except for the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality,” he said.
Mr Shatter also supplied figures for the use of the Government jets, the Gulfstream IV and Learjet 45, by Ministers.
It showed a marked decrease in flying hours from almost 350 in 2010 to just under 200 in 2011.
