MPs enjoy bit of a pre-tour holiday

SIGHTSEEING: Fletcher Tabuteau posted this picture of himself and wife Karen at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

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

The French leg of the tour wraps up last night Europe time, and after a short flight from Paris to Dublin today 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 social media a selfie taken on top of the Eiffel Tower.

"Literally first ones to the top of the Eiffel Tower this morning," he wrote. "Just amazing."

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

Mr Tabuteau's Paris photographs were taken earlier 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.

Once the tour began, Mr Tabuteau and Mr Graham posted photographs of a dawn service in the French town of Arras.

On Monday the tour will move on to Belfast, where they will receive a guided tour of the city and its Parliament buildings, meet politicians and attend a hosted lunch. Later next week they move on to Poland and Germany. NZME.