As Deputy Michael McDowell is not present we will move on to the second item on our list in the name of Deputy Eric Byrne.
Adjournment Debate. - Use of Government Jet.
Thank you, Sir, for allowing me to raise this important matter this evening.
The increasing use of the Government jet by Ministers and Ministers of State for their personal convenience is creating growing anger on the part of the public who must foot the bill for this extravagant exercise. In particular, the disclosure by the Minister of State at the Department of Social Welfare, Deputy Burton, that she requisitioned the Government jet to fly her home from Zurich represents one of the worst abuses of the ministerial air transport service yet to come to light. It forms part of a wider pattern by those in power who insist on nothing but the best, regardless of the cost to the taxpayer. They are acting like the new Irish aristocracy.
Of course, the current Government did not start this trend; a Fianna Fáil Government decided to expend £17 million on Charlie's palace and a Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government decided to commit in excess of £15 million of taxpayers' money to acquire the Gulf Stream jet. However, the current Fianna Fáil-Labour partnership Government has taken extravagance with other people's money to a fine art, a pattern established in the early days of this Administration when a plethora of advisers, handlers, spin doctors, managers and assistants, most of them party activists — many of whom are family members or friends — were recruited at a cost of £2.5 million per annum to the taxpayer.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, who was at that time regarded with terror by those on the Government Benches, set an example, subsequently followed by many of his colleagues, when he decided that Fitzpatrick's Hotel in New York was not good enough for him and insisted on booking into the luxury Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
Did they have television there?
It is in the use of Air Corps aeroplanes perhaps that the extravagance of Government members is seen at its worst. I have interesting statistics which show that during 1993 the total flying hours of all Air Corps aircraft was 4,936, of which 1,035 hours, or 21 per cent of all Air Corps aircraft, was accounted for in transporting Government Ministers. So far this year more than 25 per cent of Air Corps flying time has been usurped in transporting Ministers. Ever more frequently the Air Corps appears to be becoming the personal transport fleet of this Government.
While fully accepting there are occasions on which it is appropriate for the President, the Taoiseach and even senior Government Ministers to use Air Corps transport such occasions should be strictly controlled. Government personnel, down to the most junior Minister, seem to be able to demand Air Corps transport for virtually any occasion. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste even met on 9 October to try to save the Government, and where did they meet? In Baldonnel Airport because the Taoiseach was on his way back from a Fianna Fáil election convention in Cork while the Tánaiste was returning from the funeral of a party colleague in County Meath. I do not believe either trip was appropriate to the use of Air Corps transport.
Those in the Government who are specifically charged with looking after the interests of the less well off have a responsibility to lead by example and to ensure that they do not abuse public funds. It was against this background that I was shocked to learn that the Minister of State at the Department of Social Welfare, Deputy Joan Burton, had requisitioned the use of a Gulfstream jet to take her and her party back from Zurich, simply to avoid the inconvenience of having to wait overnight for a scheduled flight the following morning. The Minister was quoted in the Irish Press on Tuesday last as saying she had to be back in Dublin on the following day for appointments but, according to Tim Ryan, the author of the article in the Irish Press she had no such functions listed for 14 October. What sort of example does the Minister believe she is giving to the poor by swanning around Europe in an executive jet? What sort of message does it convey to her constituents in Dublin West who depend on social welfare benefits, which she stoutly defends, and who can barely afford the return bus fares to the city centre?
It costs thousands of pounds per hour to keep the Government jet in the air, and the Minister should disclose to the House the cost to the Exchequer of Minister Burton's flight of fancy. The trip should be costed on an hourly basis as is the case with any commercial airline, allowing for wages, capital cost, maintenance costs and depreciation. One commentator estimated that the cost of the trip was about £30,000. I do not know if the Minister is aware of any women's, youth or community groups in her constituency who could use £30,000. If she is not, I can assure her that I could find about 50 in my constituency who would happily put that amount of money to better use.
Never in our political history has a party changed so much by simply moving across the floor of the House. The Labour Party was vigorous in its condemnation of the political culture of Fianna Fáil. Now it has become a part of it. In 1991 the Labour Party denounced the acquisition by the Government of a jet. Now it uses it as others would use a bus. Given its enthusiasm for jet travel perhaps the Labour Party might change the song its members sing at the party conference from Connolly's "The Watchword of Labour" to "I'm leaving on a jet plane".
It is time to introduce new guidelines governing the use by Ministers of Air Corps transport to stop the increasing abuse of the facility by Fianna Fáil and Labour Ministers. Government jets should only be used when there is a compelling reason to do so and, where scheduled flights are available and cheaper, they should be used. The convenience of a junior Minister and her spouse is not sufficient to justify a cost of £30,000 to the taxpayer for the use of Air Corps jets.
I welcome this opportunity to advise the House of the background to the establishment of MATS, the Ministerial Air Transport Service.
A lovely name.
It is a rather interesting acronym.
Do the real maths add up?
In March 1979 the Government decided that the Air Corps should be provided with a twin engined jet transport aircraft, to be used as necessary to transport the President, Ministers and officials in connection with official duties. A British Aerospace HS 125 aircraft was acquired and the Ministerial Air Transport Service commenced in July 1979.
To allow the Government to fulfil European and other engagements during the term of Ireland's Presidency of the EU in 1990, the Government decided to lease a larger aircraft with transatlantic capabilities. Subsequently the Government decided to purchase a Gulfstream IV aircraft and to dispose of the HS 125 aircraft. The Gulfstream IVA aircraft, which can carry up to 14 passengers, entered the service in March 1992.
The following persons may use the service: the President, members of the Government, Ministers of State and authorised officials of the public service. In addition husbands and wives may use the service if they are accompanying their spouses in a representative capacity on official business.
A set of procedures for the use of the service was drawn up in 1979 and approved by the Department of the Taoiseach which authories each use of the service. These procedures were revised in 1983, 1987 and 1993 but remained largely as originally approved.
As I indicated in a reply to a recent question from Deputy Durkan, the detailed cost of operating all Air Corps aircraft is being evaluated at present. If the information is available when I answer Parliamentary Questions on Wednesday next I shall set out in detail the position. It is my intention to be open on the matter and indeed, on all other matters. We have no apologies to offer. To be frank, I think this has got out of control. What some people want us to do is to leave the jet on the tarmac and the crew in their bailiwicks and cycle to Government meetings and drink buttermilk to refresh ourselves at the end of the cycle to the fisheries council meeting.
Ministers are going around like Irish aristocracy.
All Governments have made extensive use of this valuable service since it was first introduced in 1979. In the unlikely event of a change of Government, will the new Government abolish the Gulfstream IV and the use of the Air Corps helicopter?
It is doubtful.
I agree. The Ministerial Air Transport Service confers numerous advantages.
Does the cost to the taxpayer not come into the equation?
The taxpayers know the facts and they will not be deluded by the sort of rhetoric to which the House has been subjected.
Can Aer Lingus not play a role in conveying junior Ministers?
The Ministerial Air Transport Service has proved extremely flexible as changes in departure times can be made to meet changing timetables.
Of course it is flexible when Ministers click their fingers and it comes for them.
We do not click our fingers. I would like to think that Ministers, in the context of the service to which they are entitled and see as a privilege, do not click their fingers; they are courteous and good mannered. We respect the Air Corps, and the privileges.
It is shameless spending of taxpayers' money. International airlines are no longer acceptable to some Ministers.
The availability of the aircraft for special tasks in times of crisis ensures independence of movement. Its value has been proven during EMS, fishery and CAP negotiations and on occasions when scheduled air services could not be availed of, Security is enhanced and the service can operate from military bases using military navigation lanes and other facilities.
In respect of the very unfair attack on my colleague by the Deputy, Ms Burton Minister of State at the Department of Social Welfare, and her husband travelled at the request of the Government with the President and Mr. Robinson on a State visit to Tanzania. It is customary for spouses to accompany Ministers on State visits, if possible. The date of this visit was 6 October 1994, the return date was 13 October 1994 and originally the whole party was to return from Dares Salaam. The arrangements for the President were changed and she went to Rwanda, a visit which was unconfirmed until a very late date. The rest of the party of nine, including officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Office of the President returned to Europe as arranged.
The Ministerial Air Transport Service was used to bring the Minister of State, Deputy Bruton and other members of the party home from Zurich on the evening of 13 October, thus avoiding an overnight stay in Zurich. During her stay in Tanzania the Minister of State stayed with Irish Government officials and Irish aid workers, hotel costs were therefore not incurred. I visited Rwanda and stayed in Kigali under the same roof as Deputy Owen and was a beneficiary of her hospitality. She has done wonderful work for Concern in Kigali. I confirm the conditions under which Deputy Burton lived there were basic but decent.
Will the Minister confirm that she could have taken a scheduled flight the following day and saved substantial money?
I have cleared the air.
Deputy Byrne, please desist. There are but 40 minutes allocated for matters to be dealt with on the Adjournment and three other Deputies have to be facilitated.