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.
