Transport Minister calls McGuinness's case “bizarre”

Labour's Junior Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Alan Kelly today has called the case made by Public Accounts Committee chairman and Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness’s for the State to pay the travel costs of Ministers’ spouses on official business “bizarre”.

The Minister made the comments during a visit to Mullingar this morning where he visited two sites of a new e-working centre and a cycle path along the Royal Canal, calling it a hark back to the bygone era of the Fianna Fail “sense of entitlement”

“All I’ll say is I’ve never brought my wife on a Patrick’s Day or Trade mission. I have a kid who’s one, I’ve another kid - she’s two, and she’s three next week, and I don’t really see that it is viable,” stressed the Minister.

“I don’t know how he’s landed himself in this stuff but it’s ridiculous stuff. I find his comments bizarre, that he’s coming out defending it, even more bizarre,” Mr Kelly, TD, continued.

“I think for Trade Missions you certainly should be so busy you shouldn’t really be bringing your spouse, your husband, wife, partner or whatever with you.

“Patrick’s Day, very rarely would I think that it’s possible and even if you do, you should be paying for it yourself. I would have no objection that if somebody was going somewhere and they wanted to bring their other half with them, that they pay for it themselves, but they certainly shouldn’t expect the taxpayer to do so.”