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DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL and Lord Mayor Ray McAdam have come under criticism for the cost of hotel stays and business class flights on official trips last month.
Staff and elected representatives made over a dozen official trips in March, including to Antibes, Berlin, Prague, Amsterdam, Rome and the west coast of the United States.
Details of the cost of some of the trips, which were released under Freedom of Information, were published in the Sunday Independent yesterday.
The council recorded a bill of nearly €11,400 at the four-star Royal Antibes hotel.
Five of the delegation had a three-night stay at a combined cost of more than €8,800, or €592 per person per night. The bill for a sixth person, who stayed an extra night, came to €2,502, or more than €625 per night.
Separately, the bill for accommodation for a four-night stay in San Jose, California for five staff members and councillors came to €11,000. One member of the group did not travel and a €1,775 refund was subsequently issued.
Lord Mayor Ray McAdam, who is standing for Fine Gael in next month’s Dublin Central by-election, and Dublin City Council chief executive Richard Shakespeare both flew business class to California.
McAdam’s flight cost almost €5,900 while Shakespeare’s amounted to €4,185.
The other members of the party flew economy class, with their tickets coming to around €1,000 each.
In a statement, a Dublin City Council spokesperson said: “For long‑haul flights of approximately 11 hours, where official business was scheduled immediately on arrival, business‑class travel was approved in line with established travel arrangements.”
The spokesperson said that other members of the delegation confirmed their intention to travel later, and at the time of booking, no business‑class seats were available on the direct flight.
“Alternative business‑class flights were offered which would have involved a stopover, however those members opted to travel economy on the direct service instead.”
Fine Gael and Ray McAdam were approached for comment.
Sinn Féin councillor Janice Boylan, who is also standing in the Dublin Central by-election, described the costs as “eye-watering”.
“Reports that council officials, including the Lord Mayor Ray McAdam and chief executive Richard Shakespeare, are flying business class and staying in luxury hotels while at the same time DCC is imposing a rent increase hike on council tenants is an absolute insult to the people of Dublin,” she said.
“It is simply unacceptable that public officials would think it is appropriate to splurge public funds in this way, particularly at a time when people are being pinned to their collar by the cost-of-living crisis.”
Boylan said it incumbent on all council officials and public representatives to be fully transparent with the public about how much taxpayers’ money was spent on such trips.
People Before Profit Dublin Central by-election candidate Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin also pointed to the vote by DCC to increase rents for Council tenants, which took place last November.
“The powerful fly business class and stay in luxury hotels while Council tenants face paying higher rents for properties that are often badly maintained and sometimes barely habitable,” Ó Ceannabháin said.
“It’s a telling illustration of the divide between Ireland‘s establishment and ordinary people.”
The Dublin Central and Galway West by-elections will take place on 22 May, with campaigning now underway. Closing day for nominations is 12pm on 1 May.
These are the candidates who have declared in Dublin Central so far:
These are the candidates who have put themselves forward in Galway West so far:
With reporting from Jane Matthews
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