asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give details of each visit to a foreign country undertaken since 31st March, 1974, including the overall cost of such visits and the advantage for this country arising therefrom.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Visits Abroad.
25.
Details of such visits by the Minister and Parliamentary Secretary are as follows:
Attendance by the Minister at the XVIIth International Conference on Social Welfare in Nairobi from 14th to 20th July, 1974. The cost was £1,130.
Attendance by the Parliamentary Secretary at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the EEC responsible for Social Affairs in Luxembourg on 10th June, 1974. Cost £243.
Attendance by the Parliamentary Secretary at the XVIth International Congress of Administrative Sciences in Mexico city from 22nd to 26th July, 1974. Cost £1,200.
Attendance by the Parliamentary Secretary at the 43rd session of the Committee of Experts on Social Security of the Council of Europe in Vienna from 9th to 13th September, 1974. Cost £390.
It will be apparent to the Deputy that the advantage of attending international meetings of these kinds lies in the means they provide for keeping abreast of social and administrative developments in other countries which might be usefully applied for planning improvements in the services for which my Department are responsible.
The Parliamentary Secretary mentioned that the benefit accruing to Ireland was that it would enable the Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary to keep abreast of developments in other countries. Surely it would have been opportune for the Minister to have been here at a time when there was an important social proposal for change rather than spending £1,100 in travelling to Africa——
The Deputy is engaging in argument rather than pursuing a legitimate supplementary question.
——at such a crucial time when such a crucial decision was being taken.
I do not think the Minister would find it necessary to accept or seek the Deputy's advice as to his responsibilities.
He would be better occupied in paying attention to changes in this country.
The remaining questions will appear on the Order Paper for the next sitting day.