16/10/2012

€400,000 Spent On Travel By Welfare Staff

Over €400,000 of taxpayers money has been spent sending social welfare officials between Dublin and eight decentralised offices, the Irish Independent has reported.

620 Department of Social Welfare officers, who had to journey between Dublin and Longford, Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Buncrana, Dundalk, Waterford and Roscommon, were paid the money in expenses.

Hotel bills and meals accounted for most of the expenses bills, according to figures obtained by the Irish Independent under a Freedom of Information request.

Travel by bus accounted for €13,324 of the total claimed, taxis accounted for €1,735, while a further €1,231 was paid out for motorway toll charges.

Travel between Sligo and Dublin accounts for the single biggest amount of travel and subsistence expenses, a total of €147,326.

The Department of Social Welfare said that officials would travel back to Dublin from the decentralised offices for a variety of reasons.

(H)


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