asked the Minister for Finance if he will give details of each visit to a foreign country undertaken since 31st March, 1974, including the overall cost of such visit and the advantage for this country arising therefrom.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Visits Abroad.
37.
In the period since 31st March, 1974, I have made six visits to foreign countries at an overall net cost of £196. The details are as follows: to The Hague from 21st April to 23rd April for a meeting of EEC Finance Ministers at a cost of £116, to Luxembourg on 6th June for a meeting of EEC Finance Ministers at a cost of £119, to Washington from 11th June to 13th June for a meeting of the Committee of 20 of the International Monetary Fund at a cost of £418, to Brussels from 14th July to 15th July for a meeting of EEC Finance Ministers at a cost of £100, to Brussels from 15th September, to 16th September for a meeting of EEC Finance Ministers at a cost of £133, and to Washington from 28th September to 4th october for the annual general meeting of the International Monetary Fund at a cost of £910. The total cost of these visits was £1,796 of which £1,600 has been or will be recouped from the EEC or the IMF as appropriate.
My visits abroad have arisen principally out of Ireland's membership of the EEC and other international organisations. Attendance at meetings of the Council of Finance Ministers is an obligation and a privilege of EEC membership. The benefits of attendance cannot always be quantified but as a minimum these meetings are a valuable source of information on Community economic, financial and monetary problems and on similar problems in the other member states and the likely effects in both cases on this country. There is also the opportunity of ensuring that the Irish viewpoint gets a fair hearing and that where contributions to the Community budget or otherwise are involved Irish circumstances are taken into account. To give a specific example of benefit I mention the loans obtained from the European Investment Bank which constitute a very welcome source of finance to this country.
The position is similar as regards the International Monetary Fund, the Committee of 20 on International Monetary reform and the World Bank whose meetings I have attended. My contacts with the International Monetary Fund and the Committee of 20 have been most useful in providing information on the trend of international monetary developments. This country has obtained a number of loans from the World Bank which as well as being a supplemental source of development finance is also a source of up-to-date technical expertise in different fields.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance made two visits to foreign countries during the period in question, one to Vienna from 19th June to 3rd July for a Joint Conference of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) and the International Federation of Park and Recreation Administration (IFPRA) at a cost of £593 and the other to Brussels from 24th September for an EEC Finance Ministers Meeting to discuss the Community Budget for 1975, at which he represented me, at a cost of £134 of which £74 was recouped from the EEC. The main advantages of attendance at the IFLA/IFPRA Conference were that it enabled the Parliamentary Secretary to keep abreast of park developments in other countries, to meet colleagues engaged on similar work elsewhere and to benefit from their experience.
Needless to say they would benefit from his as well.
Oh, undoubtedly, but I was asked what benefit it was to this country.
Has the lapdog O'Brien no questions to ask about these expenses?
Obviously the questions I asked hit low.
Deputy Haughey, that is not the kind of appendage that should be ascribed to any Member of this House.
That is not too bad, a Cheann Comhairle.