Donegal Sinn Fein TD to enjoy 5 star luxury on Ethiopa ‘fact finding mission’

Donegal Sinn Fein Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn is one of a delegation on the Dail’s Foreign Affairs Committee which has travelled to Ethiopia on what is billed as a fact finding mission.
It is reported that the five members of the committee will stay in the five star Hilton Hotel at the expense of the tax payer with the trip expected to last until the 20th of this month.
It is claimed they were advised to stay at the hotel by the Ethiopian security forces because of ongoing conflict in the country.
The others on the trip are Fine Gael’s Pat Breen and Dan Neville, Fianna Fail’s Sean O Fearghail and Labour’s Lorraine Higgins.
Today they enjoy lunch at the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa before meeting with Irish and Ethiopian representatives involved in providing aid.
Tomorrow the group take a chartered flight to Dollo Ado to meet Irish people involved with UNHCR and NGO’s.
On Wednesday they meet with the African Union Deputy Chairman before an evening dinner hosted by the ambassador with locally inspired music and dancing.
On Thursday the five travel to the Tigray region to view Irish Aid supported programmes – that is followed by dinner and an overnight stay in the capital of Tigray Region.
There are further meetings scheduled for Friday before the group return home on Saturday via London.
Questions have been asked why it is taking one third of the Dail’s Foreign Affairs Committee to make the trip while another independent TD described the trip as ‘disgusting’ in these times.