Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 September 2011
16 Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach the amount he spent on thevisits here of Queen Elizabeth II of England and the President of the United States of America visit; the amount of that spent on food and beverages; if he will provide a detailed breakdown of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21136/11]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo date the total expenditure by my Department on the visit by President Obama is €125,838. Of this total spent on catering was €14,483. The projected cost of the visit of President Obama is approximately €600,000. The main area of expenditure was the organisation of the large-scale public event in College Green. To date the total expenditure by my Department on the visit by Queen Elizabeth II is €25,709. The bulk of this expenditure relates to the catering and transport arrangements for the wreath laying ceremony in the War Memorial Gardens, Islandbridge. More than 570 guests attended the ceremony. The total expenditure on catering was €19,709. These costs must be seen in the context of the historic nature of the visits and the opportunities they presented not only for trade, investment and tourism, but also in enhancing Ireland's international reputation and profile at a critical juncture.
What was the total cost? Members of the Government have referred in previous questions to the overall cost of the visits being in excess of €20 million or €23 million. The Taoiseach might remind me of the full cost of the two visits. How much of the total expenditure was spent on food, beverages, entertainment for the various guests and so on? Does the Taoiseach think it is appropriate that a significant sums of taxpayers' money is being spent on wine, alcohol, food and big glitzy——
The Deputy is straying from the question.
——occasions with celebrities and personalities quaffing fine wine and eating fine food——
Does the Deputy have supplementary question?
——at the same time as brutal austerity is being imposed on people who are struggling to put food on the table or pay their bills? It is an aspect of the visit that some of us who were opposed to it are concerned about. Is it appropriate, given the suffering so many people in the country are going through?
I had to feed the meter at the time which cost me €4.
I cannot believe the Deputy is serious. The Minister for Justice and Equality indicated the overall cost of the Garda operation arising from the State visits of President Obama and Queen Elizabeth II to be in the region of €36 million. As the Deputy is well aware, some very unruly characters and dangerous organisations threatened to inflict their agendas on the Irish people.
The Taoiseach is not associating me with them.
No, in fairness the Deputy told his people to be very peaceful. I want him to understand that if he wants specific answers with the details of that nature, I am quite sure the Minister for Justice and Equality will answer them in some detail. The Deputy's question concerned the expenditure by the Department of the Taoiseach and I have outlined the figure to the euro.
At least €300 million in respect of beneficial coverage for the country was generated. It emanated from the many thousands of articles and media items given about our people and nation during the course of the two visits, and it will last for many years to come in terms of benefit to the hospitality and tourism sectors, not to mention business and a range of other areas.
In respect of the cost of the visit to the Department, flowers and wreaths cost €1,182.38; the gift to the Queen of a book on the horseracing industry with particular reference to English racing was €200; coach hire was €2,900; catering was €19,709.44 — for the rashers, I suppose; printing was €298; and equipment hire was €1,419. The coaches had to be hired from the evening before the ceremony in order to be security checked which added to the cost. For security reasons, there was no parking at Islandbridge so guests were transported by coach from the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.
Did the Deputy want to ask them to bring their own sandwiches?
The Taoiseach did not answer one part of my question.
The Deputy got a comprehensive answer.
Was there red wine or white wine?
I asked about the appropriateness of such expenditure when austerity is being imposed on the people.
I wanted to raise something on the previous question.
Glitzy occasions and spending money on fine food for select invitees——
I call on the Taoiseach to answer Question No. 17.
I had a question about Question No. 16.
It was straightforward question asking about the particulars of cost. We are not discussing the overall visit.
My question related specifically to costs and the visits in question.
I ask the Deputy to stick to the question.
Is the Deputy sorry she did not take any of the sandwiches?
There were no sandwiches. There was much better fare.
I will raise an issue that is more important than sandwiches. I wish to refer to the €36 million cost——
That is a different question. Question No. 16 relates to the cost——
This is Question Time and the Taoiseach has raised the issue of the €30 million cost. What is the implication for the Garda Síochána and the budget? The much bigger concern is not sandwiches or cocktail sausages but that substantial public moneys were spent.
That is a separate question entirely.
It came out of the Garda budget——
The question asked was the amount spent on food and beverages.
The Taoiseach raised this matter and brought the figure into the discussion.
I do not care what he raised but the question was the amount that was spent on food and beverages. It was answered.
The Taoiseach and Government should consider the €36 million spent, particularly as it might affect the Garda Síochána and the service on our streets.
The Deputy should table a separate question.
The State and taxpayer have paid hundreds of millions of euro because of security requirements arising from the activities of illegal organisations in this country over the years.
That is a very cryptic answer.
