FORMER Taoiseach Bertie Ahern personally sanctioned the use of the Government jet to fly the FAS party to Cocoa Beach it has emerged, at a total cost of around €130,000 to the taxpayer.

The jet, which costs €7,000 an hour to run, was used despite the fact that FAS had also booked and paid for first-class airline tickets for the group.

As a result, the taxpayer ended up paying around €80,000 to fly the seven delegates via private jet, and a further €4,824 per head was given to a commercial airline.

The first-class flights were booked, just in case the then Taoiseach or President would need the State's Gulfstream IV at short notice.

Forgotten

However, FAS representatives admitted again yesterday that they had forgotten to cancel the extra tickets.

As the questionable practice of double booking flights was raised yesterday, a spokesperson for Minister Mary Harney insisted that the Taoiseach of the time, Bertie Ahern, would have personally approved its use by the FAS junketeers.

"The matter of the Government jet is entirely a matter for the Taoiseach," the spokesperson said.

FAS has now banned executives from travelling first-class. FAS assistant director Christy Cooney issued a directive to all staff yesterday that economy class would now be status quo.

He also told the Dail's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that credit card limits had been cut from €76,000 to €5,000.

That follows the revelation that FAS staff had used the cards to pay for luxury hotels, pay-per-view films and even the now infamous Harney hairdo.

Greg Craig, whose credit card was used for the $410 (€315) "beauty treatments" during the 2004 Florida trip was suspended yesterday. However, Mr Craig last night said that his suspension was based on a "trumped-up charge" made against him to prevent his co-operation with the Comptroller and Auditor General and the PAC.

He had been on long-term sick leave and only heard of his suspension on radio.

It has now also emerged that Ms Harney was only one of five ministers to visit the FAS Science Challenge project in Florida between 2004 and 2007. Chairman of the PAC Bernard Allen noted during yesterday's meeting that Florida "must be a very attractive place to go" after hearing that three senior and two junior ministers went there in the space of just three years.

Apart from Ms Harney, ministers Michael Martin, Tony Kileen, Mary Hanafin and Michael Ahern all made the trips at various times.

Christy Cooney also found himself defending a potential conflict of interest between his involvement with FAS and the GAA.

He is the incoming president of the GAA, whose headquarters in Croke Park hosts the massive FAS Opportunities exhibition every year.

Unprompted Mr Cooney told the PAC that he no role in the decision to move FAS's job fair from the RDS to Croke Park.

Speaking about Ms Harney's "wash-and-blow-dry" at Solutions Salon in Cocoa Beach, Mr Cooney said that he was aware that she had used the hairdresser on that trip, and that he believed someone else was on the bill, too.

However, the person who signed off on the expenses, assistant director-general Gerry Pyke, has since retired.

- Kevin Doyle