THE Air Corps has provided helicopter transport worth €210,796 to Government ministers since the general election.

Despite having ministerial cars at their disposal, the office holders have been making free use of the service at taxpayers' expense, new figures show.

They made 60 trips in Air Corps helicopters between May, 2007, and September this year.

Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton has now called on Brian Cowen to put in place proper controls for spending on ministerial travel.

Defence Minister Willie O'Dea used the Air Corp helicopters 10 times between May, 2007, and September this year.

One flight took the Limerick TD from Casement Aerodrome to Sarsfield Barracks in Limerick to Haulbowline in Cork and back to Sarsfield. The 130-minute journey cost the taxpayer €3,445.

The minister also used an Air Corps helicopter for an 115-minute trip between Baldonnel, Sarsfield and Sligo Airport on May 1, 2008, costing €5,999.

A journey made by Transport Minister Noel Dempsey took the Meath TD from a GAA pitch in Trim in his constituency to Foynes in Limerick and then back to Trim. He was accompanied by ministerial aides Veronica Scanlon and Olive Stephens.

The cost of the trip, on October 31, last year, was €2,650.

On February 6, Mr Dempsey travelled from the Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, to Shannon and back at a cost of €4,695.

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was among the most frequent flyers, making nine journeys between his re-election in 2007 to the time he resigned a year later. The total cost of those trips came to €32,136.

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Tanaiste Mary Coughlan also made nine helicopter journeys. One trip took the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment from a GAA pitch in Donegal, her home county, to the Phoenix Park. The flight took an hour and cost the taxpayer €3,130.

A mammoth 205-minute journey taken by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon O Cuiv cost €10,694.

Along with a number of departmental aides, he travelled from Baldonnel, Dublin, to Ballingeary in Co Cork and on to Bere Island and then Cape Clear Island, both in West Cork.

From there, the party flew to the Dingle Peninsula before returning to Baldonnel.

The other trip made by Mr O Cuiv was when he travelled with Minister of State, Pat Gallagher, Sorcha de Bruch and Seamus Mac Giolla Chonhail.

The journey started in Baldonnel and took in Dungloe and Tory Island in Donegal and Ashford Castle in Cong, Co Mayo, costing €7,303.

Ms Creighton was given the details after tabling a parliamentary question.

She said: "It looks like these Government ministers have been using our Defence Forces as their personal taxi-cab service and using Air Corps helicopters as a way of getting around, with no consideration of the waste of taxpayers' money involved.

"Individual journeys costing up to €10,000 have been undertaken by ministers, with most of these helicopter rides costing around €3,000 a trip."

The Air Corps helicopter fleet comprises two light utility EC135 helicopters and six utility AW139 helicopters.

Mr O'Dea said ministerial transport represented 5pc of helicopter flying hours.

"The guidelines specify that requests for the use of the service should be made to the Taoiseach in respect of every mission, giving details of the justifying need, the destination, route, timings, passenger details and purpose of travel," he said.

comurphy@herald.ie

- Cormac Murphy