Central Bank Censured Over Flights

The Central Bank has come under major fire after it was revealed the state bank had paid for the flights of workers' spouses.

In a report from the Office of Comptroller and Auditor General today, it has emerged the Central Bank had used taxpayers' money to fly 52 employees' spouses on foreign trips, leading to outrage from the opposition.

Fine Gael's Richard Bruton the opportunity to travel abroad was a privilege that should be used only where it serves the public interest.

"It is unacceptable for the Central Bank and perhaps other agencies to have used the facility to travel abroad for anything other than in the pursuit of the public interest," he said.

Mr Bruton added: "At a time when the public is still reeling from the impact of the failure of our banking system, this matter will only add to the anger and frustration of the general public, particularly those whose livelihoods have been put in jeopardy by the regulatory failure which occurred.

"It would be unfortunate if those responsible for safeguarding the system appear not to have had clear views on how public money should be used."

Today's report, prepared by the Auditor General John Buckley, has exposed the level and nature of spending within Government owned agencies throughout the state and chiefly within the recently criticised FÁS state training agency. However, the revelations over the Central Bank's conduct have invited the most audible criticism.

The report found that total flight costs for the 20 state owned organisations looked at by the report were €8.6 million for the two-year period. Four organisations accounted for two-thirds of the expenditure – Enterprise Ireland; the Industrial Development Authority

(IDA); the Dublin Institute of Technology and the Central Bank of Ireland.

A total of 18 organisations reported that they paid for flights for people other than staff members while some organisations reported they were reimbursed for some non-staff flights. Around €1.5 million was incurred for 4,000 flights for non-staff members that was not reimbursed.

Reasons provided for incurring these costs included costs for external examiners and external assessors, scientists for peer review services, staff members’ spouses41 travelling by invitation to an official spouse’s programme and Ministerial travel for trade trips, according to the report.

(DW/GK)