Taoiseach spent €12,000 on gourmet coffee beans and travel mugs last year

The Department of the Taoiseach splurged €12,000 last year for gourmet coffee beans and travel mugs, figures reveal.

Around €12,000 was spent on coffee supplies from Java Republic, with favoured roasts including Munkey, Blue Earth, and Latina Pourover.

Two purchases of travel mugs were made at a cost of €340 as part of over €1 million in government expenditure on travel, accommodation, transport, PR, photography and entertainment in 2023.

More than €2,200 was wasted on cancelled hotel bookings, while almost €1,500 was paid to frame photographs of Leo Varadkar and other ministers with Joe Biden.

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The department also paid out more than €83,000 for training courses for staff, which included €18,000 for a ‘Building Leaders’ programme, and a sum of €3,936 for a “creativity workshop”.

More than €155,000 was spent on hotels with €8,629 was paid to the five-star Dupont Circle Hotel for the Taoiseach and his delegation’s visit to Washington, DC for St Patrick’s Day.

Another €6,562 was paid for Paris accommodation for the visit to French President Emmanuel Macron, while a two-night stay in London for Leo Varadkar and his delegation for the coronation of King Charles cost €4,216.

Over €9,500 was paid for gifts, including €2,100 for 30 harp pins and 30 shamrock pins, €1,353 on a silver sterling bell gifted to US Vice President Kamala Harris, and €487 for candles.

Hotel costs were also incurred in Ireland with close to €6,700 spent at the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise during the National Ploughing Championships.

The department spent over €20,000 on taxis within Ireland, €5,500 on photography, €33,000 on public relations for the IBRC Commission of Investigation and other media work, and €2,813 for speaker fees to moderate Shared Ireland events.

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