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A CONTROVERSIAL state body flew 13 people to Boston for a conference on housing management and “active citizenship”, at a cost of almost €30,000, it has emerged.
It also spent €1,077 on theatre tickets on a 12-person trip to London, nearly €1,700 on a dinner in the same city and €13,700 on five-star hotel accommodation in Spain.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority, which is responsible for the regeneration of the capital’s docklands, regularly flew more than ten people to various seminars and courses and on visits overseas.
In August 2006, the DDDA flew 13 people to Boston for several days for a conference. Flights and accommodation came to €24,043 and €3,000 went on incidental expenses. These included dinner for 20, which cost €1,466.80, and two other dinners for 14 costing nearly €750. A “float” for the trip was €350, while snacks cost €71.43.
In September 2006, another 12 people from the DDDA travelled to London for “education and research”. While the authority was economical with flights, it made up for it by buying theatre tickets.
Flights to London cost just €518.60, with train tickets from Heathrow coming in at €366.90. Theatre tickets for 12, however, cost €1,077 while two dinners for 12 people came in at €1,461.
Accommodation for three nights for the group came to nearly €5,500, the DDDA said in response to a Freedom of Information request.
One of the most costly trips was in October 2006, when 14 officials went to Bilbao and San Sebastian in Spain. Flights cost just €2,056.45, but the hotel bill for two nights came to €13,772. The group stayed at the five-star Hotel Maria Cristina in San Sebastian, which has made the coveted Gold List in Condé Nast Traveller magazine.
The 14 officials also enjoyed two fine meals at the Casa Nicola and Juanito restaurants in the Basque country, costing €2,285.
On that trip were board members Lar Bradshaw, Declan McCourt, Seán FitzPatrick (former Anglo Irish Bank chairman), Donall Curtin, Mary Moylan, Joan O’Connor, Niamh O’Sullivan and Angela Cavendish. Executive members Paul Maloney, David Higgins, Gerry Kelly, Loretta Lambkin, John McLaughlin and Neil Mulcahy also travelled.
February 11, 2009 at 2:47 pm
What’s going on at Docklands Authority where they have spent €500k on foreign travel?
http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/whats-going-on-at-docklands-authority-where-they-have-spent-8364500k-on-foreign-travel-1635611.html
WHY?: Disgraced Anglo’s Sean Fitzpatrick lived it up at luxury Spanish hotel
City News Home
By Cormac Murphy
Wednesday February 11 2009
A DUBLIN semi-state body spent almost half a million on foreign travel and related expenses in just three years, new figures have revealed.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) racked up a travel bill of €458,208.96 between 2006 and 2008, a Herald investigation has uncovered.
The DDDA, under the auspices of the Department of the Environment, splashed out €48,325.96, €33,529.70, €27,103.70 and €18,728.66, respectively, on just four journeys abroad.
The trips included a visit to Boston for 14 members of the DDDA board at a cost of more than €27,000. The figures also show that disgraced former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick was part of a group that travelled to San Sebastian and Bilbao in Spain in October 2006 which cost €18,728.66.
Mr FitzPatrick, a former DDDA director, stayed in the five-star Maria Cristina hotel in San Sebastian along with his fellow travellers.
The study visit involved presentations by city planners, economic and technology leaders and a trip to the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao.
Also on the trip was Lar Bradshaw — who was chairman of the DDDA up until June, 2007, and was a director at Anglo until last December — Declan McCourt, Donall Curtin, Mary Moylan, Joan O’Connor, Niamh O’Sullivan and Angela Cavendish.
Executive members Paul Maloney, David Higgins, Gerry Kelly, Loretta Lambkin, John McLoughlin and Neil Mulcahy were present as well.
expedition
In August 2006, the DDDA sent 14 members of its board, council and staff to Boston at a cost of €27,103.70.
The group visited the US city for research purposes.
Among those who travelled were eight DDDA council members Betty Ashe, Dolores Wilson, Frances Corr, G O’Driscoll, Seanie Lambe, Charlie Murphy, Willie Dwyer and Pat Magner.
They stayed at Jurys hotel at a cost of €11,837.17, while flights came to €12,206.22.
The following month a similarly sized group travelled to London on another housing management expedition at a cost of €10,613.02, again staying at Jurys hotel.
In July 2007, the authority spent €48,325.96 sending school children to Africa in July 2007. The trip saw the organisation pay for 10 pupils from five secondary schools in Dublin’s inner city to go to Zambia.
Flights for the trip came to €27,999.96 and the hire of a bus, driver and jeep for the duration of the visit came to €5,250.
However, while the authority was established by the Government in 1997, a spokeswoman said it has never received State funding at any stage since its foundation.
The information was released to the Herald under the Freedom of Information Act.
vancouver
In all, the DDDA’s social regeneration unit racked up a travel bill of €238,350.92 over the three years.
Included in the overall cost were 26 separate visits abroad by schoolchildren and young people from the Docklands area.
On each occasion, the groups were accompanied by DDDA members.
DDDA board member Joan O’Connor travelled business class to Vancouver for a tall buildings conference in September, 2006. The ticket came to €5,505.30, the figures show.
In April last year, a large contingent of DDDA board, executive and staff members travelled to London at a cost of €33,529.70.
The hotel bill for the 17-strong travelling party came to €10,929.44, while €8,834.80 was spent on audio visual equipment and €5,053.51 was allocated to flights.
The group, which included chairman Donal O’Connor — who has since taken over at Anglo from Mr FitzPatrick — viewed London docklands river regeneration as well as visiting art projects in the city.
A spokeswoman said: “It has achieved its objectives through its own funding generated by its commercial endeavours.
She added: The objectives of the study visits are to “directly observe what has been achieved and to learn from their successes and failures”.
This is done “with a view to delivering the best possible physical, social, economic and cultural regeneration of Dublin Docklands”.
comurphy@herald.ie
- Cormac Murphy