Kildare County Councillor’s Junkets 2009
By Primal Sneeze ~ January 15th, 2010. Filed under: Kildare, Politicians.
UPDATES: 09:05 15 Jan – News coming in that the figures quoted by Donal and the media are lower by €15k than the actual cost of junkets.
10:00 KFM radio crediting the Leinster Leader as the original source, not Donal Corcoran.
10:35 Update from Donal in comments here.
12:55 Full tabulated figures on Donal’s blog http://donalcorcoran1.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/kildare-junkets-2009-amended-list/
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On January 7, Donal Corcoran, a former councillor, published a list of publicly-funded attendance by Kildare County Councillors at events in 2009. Junkets!
A full week later and it is a hot topic on local radio and in the local newspaper. (No comment on the timeliness of the MSM). Surprise, surprise the four top recipients of these perks were Fianna Fáil councillors. Update: In order of expenses incurred: M Miley; G Conway; F O’Loughlin; L Doyle.
On first reading Donal’s piece I was shocked to see a monetary value beside event listings that no one attended and assumed those monies had been paid out. I have since been assured by a sitting councillor that this is not the case – the value is merely what the cost would have been had the event been attended. Some small saving grace.
However, there are other disturbing facts.
Firstly let’s look at some of those same unattended events: Understanding Public Private Partnerships; Ireland, It’s People 2010-2015; Including People with a Disability in Local Government Structures, Services; Environmental Management: The Challenges for Councillors.
Hmmm. Wouldn’t you think educating our councillors about disability and environmental issues worthwhile? I would.
Incidentally the Environmental Management: The Challenges for Councillors seminar was held in the Killashee House Hotel in Naas. A useful seminar right on their own doorstep. Perhaps there is no attraction when an overnight stay at a plush hotel is involved.
Now a less well attended: Information, Communication Technologies for Councillors. Personally I would have made this one compulsory. That’s not just the geek in me speaking. ICT is not the preserve of the geek – it is part and parcel of daily life. Yet politicians seem to think ignoring it will make it go away. Often I pose a question based on a fact, or on something they said in a meeting, to a councillor and get a shocked look – How do you know that? Where did you hear that? My answer is usually I read it on the council website. More shocked looks – the no-way-should-the-public-be-allowed-know-that look.
One of the better attended was in Galway city for the Merriman Winter School in February. For those who aren’t aware, the winter school, unlike the summer one, is conducted entirely through Irish. I guess any councillor whose command of the language let them down could otherwise amuse themselves in the luxurious spa of the Hotel Meyrick. By the way, the cheapest rate I can find for the weekend of this year’s school is €145 per night. I think I’ll pass.
Finally, let’s take a look at some of the truly bizarre events attended by Kildare County Councillors in 2009. Bizarre in that they were funded out of Council coffers that is.
- Maximising Your Vote Seminar
- Get Elected! You, the Media
What?
Additional figures. Interesting ?
Conference Member Details Approximate Allocation
02–04 January 2009
Irish Language Course for Katie Ridge €924.14 New Information – Previously not included
Connemara Coast Hotel, Furbo, Co. Galway Geraldine Conway €924.14
Martin Miley Jnr. €924.14
Friday, January 09, 2009
The Greening of Irish Agriculture: Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change Fiona O’Loughlin €332.60
Dublin Castle Geraldine Conway €332.60
16-18 January 2009
Effective Communications for Micheál Nolan €751.08
Day’s Hotel, 1 Merchants Quay, Waterford Katie Ridge €751.08
Kevin Byrne €751.08
Geraldine Conway €751.08
Mark Dalton €751.08
Monday, January 19, 2009
A Practical Update on Corporate Governance in the Public Sector Pat Black €489.32
Public Affairs Ireland, 25 Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1 Daragh Fitzpatrick €489.32
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
UCC 27th Annual Business Conference Micheál Nolan €469.31
Clarion Hotel, Cork Rainsford Hendy €469.31
Francis Browne €469.31
Pat Black €469.31
Liam Doyle €469.31
23-25 January 2009
The Local Government Planning Service Francis Browne €751.08
The Granville Hotel, Waterford Fionnuala Dukes €751.08
Billy Hillis €751.08
Geraldine Conway €751.08
Daragh Fitzpatrick €751.08
28-Jan-09
Conference on the State and the Law Martin Miley Jnr. €389.32
Conrad Hotel, Dublin 2 Liam Doyle €389.32
I am assuming Ms Ridge needed the language course in January to prepare her for the Merriman Winter School in February.
Ms Conway is a junket-junkie it would seem.
See my Blog http://donalcorcoran1.wordpress.com/2010/01/
for amended figures for the complete year 2009. For some reason I was unable to ownload them to your Blog. Good discussion on Kildare FM Radio this morning. Fiona O Loughlin claims that she wasnt at one of the Conferences that she was credited with.
Link added as an update at the top of the post.
I followed the KFM discussion. They really dragged it out. But, I suppose that’s good for holding the listeners.
[...] The Leinster Leader and Kildare FM have followed up the story – Leinster Leader without attributing the original source unfortunately (“as seen by this paper” tut tut, what’s wrong with attributing blogs, lads?) – you can get their coverage here and here. (Kildare FM then attributed the story to Leinster Leader). Jim at Primal Sneeze gave me a heads-up on it earlier in the week, you can read his feelings on the matter at this link. [...]
@Primal Sneeze – Re Kildare Conferences disclosure of expenses. I am not alone in looking into and collating information gleaned from Kildare County Council Website and elsewhere. I started this in August 2009 and was instrumental in getting the debate going on the abuse of the system.My Blog isn’t the only source of information. Another member of the outing network would have supplied Leinster Leader with the figures.