The expenses of traveling senators charged to the Upper House budget amounted to 2.12 million euros during the first six months of 2024, lwhich represents almost 700,000 euros more than the previous year at this point and a record spending in the nine years since this data has been known.
The increase in expenses for these trips coincides with the decision of the absolute majority of the PP to increase the number of plenary sessions per month, two monthly sessions to add a new plenary session per month. Precisely, the Senate Council has already taken into account this increase in expenses and included it in the new budget of the Chamber.
According to data collected by Europa Press, the Senate allocated up to a total of 1,249,420.33 euros for travel during the second quarter of 2024, distributed between parliamentary, political and official senators’ trips. This amount also includes management fees, cancellation and modification of tickets, as well as tickets issued pending use.
The Senate covers the travel expenses of senators by means of public transport (plane, train, bus or boat) for the exercise of their parliamentary activity, to exercise activities of a political, sectoral or institutional representation natureas well as official travel carried out on behalf of the Senate.
Likewise, the Senate grants parliamentarians a “Taxi Card” with a maximum annual credit of 3,000 euros, valid to cover their travel within the Community of Madrid, and, in case of using their own car, 0.25 euro per kilometer are paid. as well as, where applicable, the amounts of motorway tolls.
A record number
Senators’ travel expenses during these first three months of 2024 are a record since this data began to be made public nine years ago. Concretely, the total for the first six months of 2024 amounts to 2,118,959.24 euros.
In the same period, senators spent 1,420,218.9 euros during the year 2023, while in 2022, this represented an expenditure of 1,460,297.12 euros. In the years of Covid restrictions, expenses were 1,153,653.69 euros in 2021 and 727,285.5 euros in 2020.
In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, travel expenses for senators amounted to 956,704.27 euros. In 2018 (1,734,409.67 euros), 2017 (1,590,906.16 euros), 2016 (907,072.4 euros) and 2015 (1,431,139.62 euros), the mark of 2.1 million euros n ‘has never been exceeded in the first quarter of this year.
