OVER €90,000 was splashed out last year sending Fingal county councillors to conferences at home and abroad.

New figures released by the local authority show €91,780.81 was spent in the midst of the recession on travel, subsistence and entrance fees for the events.

Some 21 councillors availed of their conference allowance, travelling mainly within Ireland but also visiting cities like Amsterdam, Berlin and Vienna.

The sum is separate from the €217,068.86 spent by Fingal last year on councillors' allowances and expenses.

This cash was allocated to 31 councillors who are entitled to a yearly allowance of €6,740.86. They are also entitled to phone, broadband and allowances for chairing committees.

The biggest conference claim was submitted by Anne Devitt, with Fingal footing a €10,673.41 bill for the Fine Gael councillor.

Ms Devitt went on 13 conference trips last year, while two of the claims related to 2007 and 2006. According to the information released by the local authority, she visited Brussels, Montpellier and Amsterdam in the course of the year.

She also went on trips to Donegal, Kerry, West Cork and Roscommon.

Among the events she attended were the Spring Seminar of the Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland (Donegal), the annual conference of the Local Authority Members Association (Laois) and the Douglas Hyde Conference (Roscommon).

Claims

As Mayor of Fingal, Labour's Ciaran Byrne put in claims amounting to €4,997.34 last year.

Cllr Byrne travelled to Berlin, Vienna and Amsterdam. He was also in Killarney for two nights for the Association of Municipal Authorities conference.

A total of €5,562.55 was spent on trips taken by Fine Gael councillor Alan Farrell who visited Vienna and Amsterdam, as well as a number of locations in Ireland.

The figures reveal that Dublin councillors are keeping their travel and conference expenses, even though staff salaries and services were cut.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council spent a total of €94,055 on conferences and trips abroad in 2009.

Some €55,384 was spent on travel at home, €2,598 on travel abroad and €36,073 on the conferences themselves.

South Dublin County Council spent a total of €59,786 on conferences at home in 2009.

In 2009, Dublin City Council spent €106,355 on trips.

However, the local authority is by far the largest council in Dublin with some 52 councillors.

Some councillors have voiced their concern about the issue.

Cllr Hugh Lewis, of the People Before Profit Alliance, said the money should be channelled into frontline services.

Environment Minister John Gormley has recently ordered that a cap be put on these expenditures of €4,700 per councillor per year.

Cllr Lewis insisted that this restriction was not enough.

"This is simply a token gesture by the Government -- in many councils this figure will ensure that nothing changes."

hnews@herald.ie

- Cormac Murphy and Philip Pilkington