ALMOST €60,000 was spent ferrying government ministers around on board air corps helicopters in the first nine months of the year.

The cabinet has used military helicopters almost weekly for internal travel, even though each minister has 24-hour access to their own personal car and a garda driver.

Detailed figures for 2008 made available to the Sunday Tribune show that helicopters have been used 28 times at a total estimated cost to the taxpayer of €58,490.

The most frequent passenger was defence minister Willie O'Dea, who travelled by helicopter nine times.

Despite the economic gloom, this year's figures are likely to be well in excess of the €60,065 spent last year on 24 flights.

The use of helicopters to bring ministers from Dublin to locations such as Druid's Glen in Wicklow and Templemore in Tipperary, has to be sanctioned by the department of the taoiseach.

When travelling overseas, the 15 cabinet ministers and their junior ministers have access to two government jets and often use scheduled flights. But when pressed for time in Ireland, they are allowed to call on air corps pilots to taxi them around.

"They have their state cars, their state driver, and as far as we can see, they are entirely exempt from the rules of the road," said Fine Gael TD Michael Ring. "It is a waste of public money and there is no way some of these journeys can be justified. I saw President Mary McAleese arriving at the Connacht Gaelic football final on a Sunday afternoon in a helicopter. That simply isn't on."