'No €10,000 Paddy's Day junket', says mayor

The Mayor of Navan has denied reports that Meath County Council will be spending €10,000 to send councillors to New York and London for St Patrick's Day but says there is full justification for having one councillor to represent town councils and the county council on the national feastday. Cllr Joe Reilly said that, in view of the increase in emigration, it was important for the morale of Irish people abroad that their public representatives appear to show their support for them. At the last meeting of Meath County Council, councillors voted to adopt a report by its protocol committee recommending that financial provision of €10,000 be made for forign travel in the context of an overall budget of €98 million. The amount is the same as allocated in 2009. However, it was pointed out that the €10,000 was for all travel, not just for St Patrick's Day. Provision was made for a number of councillors to travel to London and New York. Cllr Reilly said that, in the case of Navan Town Council, it was hoped that one councillor would travel to London for St Patrick's Day. "I can't go myself and it has yet to be decided who will represent the council. But there will be no big delegations or anything like that. What we are talking about here is an air fare to London and overnight accommodation. This is not a junket - it is appropriate representation for Meath people who are in London. "There is no €10,000 being spent on St Patrick's Day," he said. "That €10,000 represents the total of expenditure for the whole of 2010. Even at that, all of that money may not be spent." A council spokesman said the elected members of the county council had unanimously adopted a recommendation from the protocol committee to send a delegation of four councillors to New York and a further four councillors to London. "Councillors work throughout the year representing the people of Meath and St Patrick's Day is an ideal opportunity for them to support our emigrants and recognise the work of the Meath Association," he said.