The expense of the senators’ travel from the budget of the Upper House has risen to 2.92 million euros until September 2024which means one million euros more than last year at this point and the record in the nine years since data has been available.
This is stated on the Senate’s transparency portal, in the section on the economic regime, where these expenses derived from the transportation of parliamentarians are collected, broken down by quarters since 2015.
Specifically, during the third quarter From 2024, the total reflected is 722,054.46 euros, divided between the parliamentary, political and official trips of the senators, although the total billing for this period, that is, what it really costs the Senate, is 802,308.12 eurossince this also includes management, cancellation and ticket exchange costs, as well as tickets issued pending use.
The Upper House bears the travel expenses of senators by means of public transport (plane, train, bus or boat) for the performance of their parliamentary activity, to carry out activities of a political, sectoral or institutional representation natureas well as official trips made on behalf of the Senate.
Likewise, the Senate gives parliamentarians a ‘Taxi Card‘with a credit annual maximum of 3,000 eurosvalid to cover your trips in the Community of Madrid, and, in the case of using your own car, 0.25 euros per kilometer are paid, as well as, where applicable, the amounts of motorway tolls.
And there are still three months left
The senators’ travel expenses during the first nine months of 2024 have represented the record since these data began to be made public, nine years ago. It should be remembered that in this period there have been two non-working months per holiday period -January and August-.
Compared to other years, the first nine months of 2023 resulted in an expense of 1,826,444 euros on travel, while in that period of 2022 it was 2,069,327 million euros.
In 2020, when the covid-19 pandemic broke out and in-person activity in the Upper House was almost completely closed, expenses until September were 1,000,570 euros. In 2021, when there were still certain restrictions, the costs during the first nine months amounted to 1,495,368.52 euros.
In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, the travel expenses of senators in the first three quarters were 1,362,853 euros. In 2018 (2,343,775 euros), in 2017 (2,106,744 euros), 2016 (1,305,659 euros) and 2015 (2,127,007 euros) The barrier of 2.9 million euros in the first three quarters of this year was never exceeded.
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