Almost €570,000 of taxpayers’ money was spent on a Leinster House conference including €12,500 on VIP airport lounges, €18,000 for chauffeurs and a €1,700 lunch at the five-star Shelbourne Hotel.
The huge bill was incurred during the two-day European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments in September for 60 parliamentary speakers and 400 delegates.
The Oireachtas paid €495,000 to the Convention Centre for hosting the event, which Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail spoke at, with multiple large invoices for venue hire, technical support, and catering.
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An event at Dublin Castle included €9,689 paid to the Right Catering Company for white linen, 300 canapes, 422 glasses of wine, 188 pints of Guinness and 23 staff. A further €540 was spent on kosher food, while an electrician was kept on call to ensure everything ran smoothly at a cost of €181.
Entertainment bills totalling €5,480 included €3,780 to the UCD Choral Society, €200 for a harpist and €1,500 to the Maynooth Trad Group.
There were a number of accommodation bills as well with €1,956 spent at the Travelodge in Dublin city centre which covered the cost of six rooms.
A separate bill from the Clayton Hotel for a six-night stay came to €1,512 and another three-night stint at the same venue setting the taxpayer back €846.
A fine dining bill of €1,719 was incurred at the Shelbourne Hotel’s renowned Saddle Room restaurant.
An invoice provided under FOI did not say how many people attended with a breakdown showing a food bill of €1,130, a drinks bill of around €390, and "misc" costs of €200.
Other miscellaneous costs were a design bill of €7,520, a €600 moderation fee for a discussion on hate speech and a floral bill of €700.
A sizeable printing bill of nearly €4,300 covered the cost of name plates, A4 pads, presentation gusset folders, small standees, hand held paddle signs, and lectern signage.
A significant €12,579 bill was also run up at Dublin Airport to provide VIP lounge services for dignitaries flying in and out of the capital.
Invoices for the platinum service included one for five people at a cost of €1,400, and another covering VIP treatment for a group of eighteen with a bill of over €4,300.
Other bills paid as part of the conference hosting were €608 for photography, a €218 invoice with Urban Brewing, and payments of around €1,050 for taxis.
A spokeswoman for the Oireachtas said: “Hosting the conference in Ireland was an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to [Europe institutions] in a post-Brexit world and to showcase the best of Ireland to participants from more than fifty countries.”
She added the event aligned with one of the Oireachtas’ core strategic goals around strengthening relations with EU, UK, and international organisations.
