Ken O’Flynn TD said a 2023 scheme spent €1.6 million on eight cars.
The Journal FactCheck investigated claims by Cork North-Central TD Ken O’Flynn about the 2023 Community Car Initiative (CCI), a government scheme providing transport for Ukrainian refugees.
O’Flynn alleged that the government spent €1.6 million to buy just eight cars, suggesting a cost of €200,000 per vehicle, and claimed the figure did not include driver expenses. The FactCheck found these assertions to be inaccurate.
The €1.6 million represented the total cost of the CCI, covering car purchases, leasing, insurance, tax, fuel, driver wages, and administrative overheads. Only eight cars were purchased outright at a total cost of €314,115—less than a fifth of O’Flynn’s stated figure. The remainder of the fleet was leased, and the €1.6 million did include driver costs.
After the scheme ended, the purchased vehicles remained with Local Development Companies for ongoing community use. O’Flynn defended his calculations as “simple division” and acknowledged they were “rough”. He has lodged Freedom of Information requests seeking further cost details, which he claims may support his concerns about value for money.
The FactCheck concluded that his statements about the number, cost, and driver expenses of the vehicles were misleading and not supported by the available evidence.
Read the full story at TheJournal.ie
