UCC spent more than €3.6m on travel and expenses over past five years

University College Cork has spent over €3.6m on travel, accommodation, and associated expenses, over the past five years — an average of €728,375 per annum.

Between 2020 and June of this year, the university has paid out a total of €3,696,694 on travel and accommodation, according to data released to The Echo under FoI legislation. That figure covers the four full years from 2020 and the nine months from the beginning of UCC’s financial year in October 2023 to June of this year.

However, in 2021, at the height of the pandemic, the university received credit notes to the value of €54,818, meaning that after that is taken from the overall figure, UCC actually spent €3,641,876 on travel, accommodation, and associated expenses.

In 2020, UCC paid out €603,251 for travel, accommodation, and associated expenses, while in 2021, as already noted, rolling lockdowns meant it received related credit notes worth €54,818.

The following year, 2022, the university’s bill came to €570,380.

Doubled

Last year, UCC’s expenditure on travel and accommodation more than doubled on the previous year, coming in at €1,436,965, the highest amount the university paid out over the five years covered in the FoI request.

In the nine months from the beginning of the university’s financial year in October 2023 to June 2024, it has already paid out €1,086,098.

That equates to a monthly average of €120,677 over the first nine months of its financial year.

If that monthly average spend were to continue for the remaining three months of this financial year, it would result in a total spend of €1,448,130.

In its FoI request, The Echo asked for details of ‘the total expenditure on travel incurred on behalf of UCC, as well as all related accommodation expenditure, and sundry expenses’ over the past five years.

Responding, UCC’s finance officer stated: “I have decided to part-grant your request.”

Regret

They said: “With regard to sundry expenses, I regret it is not possible to link expenses items recorded on UCC’s financial management system with specific travel without a line-by-line analysis, potentially of over 75,000 line items”.

A university spokesperson said: “As a globally ranked and engaged university UCC is committed to academic excellence, research innovation, and global engagement, all of which require expenditure on travel and accommodation.

“UCC has strict and clear policies governing travel and expenditure, which incorporate a robust assessment and pre-approval process and are in full compliance with public sector travel policy, and online meetings are encouraged where possible.”

In January of this year, the publication of UCC’s 2022 to 2023 financial statement showed the university had identified an €11.2m deficit.

At the end of January, UCC president John O’Halloran told staff that the university had enacted a plan called Project Alpha to identify cost-cutting measures and a return to a surplus.

“UCC consistently shows strong income growth and the fundamentals of UCC remain strong,” Prof O’Halloran said.

“Our strategic plan remains our ‘north star’ and we remain committed to its full implementation.”