THE economy may be going to hell in a hand-basket but the government is determined to keep up appearances at all costs.

With last week's tough budget drawing widespread criticism and 41 state quangos facing the chop, no directive to tighten belts appears to have been issued to the management of the state B&B, Farmleigh House.

Running costs at the house are on target to match or even exceed last year's figure, according to costs released by the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Farmleigh House and its nearly 50 staff had already cost the taxpayer a total of €2.113m by the end of the summer.

The cost of merely keeping the palatial guesthouse during the course of 2007 was €3.249m, the Sunday Tribune can reveal.

That covered only "wages, security, maintenance costs and other bills". Other expenses, including the cost of official visits, are paid for separately.

The number of visitors taking the time to visit Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, also seems likely to be well down this year.

While 177,161 people trooped through the doors of the mansion in 2007, only 109,337 had by the end of August this year.

Considering the busy summer season is already over, the numbers partaking in house tours, gallery visits and other cultural events are likely to be far below figures for previous years.

While the number of official visits to Farmleigh House can also be counted on the fingers of one hand, the €52m estate has proven useful for government meetings.

The house has hosted more than 50 meetings, lunches, dinners, launches and other events this year, the Office of Public Works said.

Each visit has to be first requested by the body involved and then approved by the Taoiseach, according to documents from the OPW.

Among those to utilise the fine facilities in the Phoenix Park were Anglo-Irish Bank, the Health Service Executive and the Road Safety Authority.

Two-thirds of the annual running costs of Farmleigh House are taken up by paying the nearly 50 members of staff that are employed there on a daily basis.

The staff includes four managers, a full-time farmer, a gardening team, maintenance workers and full-time constables whose job it is to guard the property.

The remainder of the annual bill is paid out on general running costs like heating, electricity and maintenance.

When Farmleigh House first came to market, it had a price tag of around €19m.

However, by the time a final decision was made by then-Minister for the Environment Martin Cullen to buy it, the asking price had jumped to €28m.

A further €24m was spent on a painstaking restoration, and each room is fitted with Waterford crystal lamps, expensive bed linen and the finest carpets and curtains.

The house contains six reception rooms, 20 bedrooms,
14 bathrooms, a ballroom, a wood-panelled library, a large sun
room, an exercise swimming
pool and a landing pad for helicopters.

The total cost to the taxpayer was €52m, although Farmleigh would likely now be worth far less if placed on the open market, given the current depressed state of the market.