Free weekend in Dublin for MPs on Speaker's Tour

Fletcher Tabuteau and his wife Karen at the Eiffel Tower.

MPs on a taxpayer-funded tour of Europe will largely have this weekend to themselves to enjoy the sights of Dublin.

The French leg of the tour wraps up tonight, and after a short flight from Paris to Dublin tomorrow the group have the weekend off except for a dinner hosted by New Zealand High Commissioner and former Speaker Sir Lockwood Smith.

The trip, which has a budget of $138,000, is led by Speaker David Carter and has been criticised by the Act Party and others as a junket.

Also on the trip is first-term Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe, Green Party foreign affairs spokesman Kennedy Graham, and first-term New Zealand First MP Fletcher Tabuteau and two parliamentary staff.

All the MPs except Mr Rurawhe have taken their partners on the trip.

MPs can downgrade from business class airfares and use the savings to help pay for their partners' travel, and any extra cost associated with partners must be met by the politicians.

Mr Tabuteau and his wife Karen have enjoyed their time in Europe so far, with the politician posting to his Facebook page a selfie taken on top of the Eiffel Tower.

Another photo was of shoppers on the the Avenue des Champs-Elysees.

Mr Tabuteau's Paris photographs were taken this week and the day before the Speaker's Tour began, and his deputy leader Tracey Martin wrote a comment alerting the MP to the media attention the trip had received.

"Just making sure that folks know that this is your private time with your own money.

"Enjoy because once the official business begins you won't have an unscripted moment to yourselves," Ms Martin wrote.

Meanwhile, the State Services Commission has said that the downgrading of airfares tactic used by MPs on the tour is not allowed in the public service.

Fletcher Tabuteau and his wife Karen at the Eiffel Tower.