The Department of Defence stepped in to cut the proposed cost of a gala dinner to be hosted by Minister Simon Coveney - after discovering it was going to cost €20,000.
The department told the Defence Forces there was no way they could stretch to that budget and that there was an official government cap of €64 per guest for such events.
In emails, the department were told by Defence Force Headquarters that the cost of the Beaufort Cup gala dinner – part of an international sailing regatta in mid-July – was “not insignificant” and made a formal request for a budget of €20,000.
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Officials responded to say that this was “above what the Minister is permitted to spend when hosting an event”.
The department said the maximum they could stretch to was €64 per person, which had to include VAT, service charges, and any room costs, and asked for further detail on why the estimate was so high.
An email said: “We have been advised that the limit of €64 per person cannot be exceeded. Can you provide a breakdown of all costs for the event so that we can give the Secretary General and Minister [Coveney] as much information as is possible as to how estimated costs have been calculated?”
The department had expected the cost would be somewhere between €8,500 and €10,000 based on a similar event from 2018.
The Defence Forces said the estimate had been calculated based on 180 people attending with a five-course meal costing €40 per person, for a total of €7,200.
A string quartet was to be booked for €920, with a further €975 for a Prosecco reception, and a €1,215 budget for wine.
The Defence Forces also wanted to buy twenty bottles of port for €300 while €1,080 would be spent on the hire of chairs with ivory seat pads.
Also included in the budget was an estimate of around €1,400 for the hire of linen, wine glasses, champagne flutes, crockery, sundae spoons, and port glasses.
The Defence Forces said hire of vintage tea-cups and saucers would cost €150 while champagne saucers would add a further €114 to the bill.
A floral arrangement for the event, to be held at the Naval Base at Haulbowline in Cork, would be €525 bringing the estimated total bill to €19,180.
A few days later, the Defence Forces came back with a slimmed-down budget and sought €12,160 with several items including the string quartet cut out.
The event was further scaled back to cater for 110 guests instead of the original estimate of 180.
On 11 July, the department wrote to colleagues in the military, saying: “I am just sending confirmation that the Minister [Simon Coveney] has formally approved a spend of €7,040 for the hosting of the 2022 Beaufort Cup gala dinner.”
Internal emails also explain how the date of the dinner was switched so that Minister Coveney could be guaranteed to attend.
One message said: “The Navy can confirm that the Beaufort Cup meal can be changed to the Thursday to align with the Minister’s availability.”
A military spokesman said: “The Beaufort Cup invites sailing teams, representing their associated uniformed services, to compete in a mix of challenging offshore and inshore races over five days and is consistent with the Defence Force's policy on adventure and confidence training.
“The Beaufort Cup Gala was hosted by the Irish Naval Service and was paid from Defence Forces funds in line with the DPER [Department of Public Expenditure] Entertainment Circular 25/2000.”
A spokesperson for the department also confirmed that all expenditure had been in line with government guidelines on entertainment.
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