Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 6 Oct 1993

Vol. 434 No. 2

Written Answers. - Official Visits Abroad.

Bernard Allen

Question:

143 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Finance the number of visits he has made abroad since taking up office; the destination, date and duration of these visits; the purpose of these visits; the number of officials and others who accompanied him; the airline used on each visit; and the overall cost of each visit.

Minister for Finance (Mr. B. Ahern)

The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following table.

Destination	Date	Duration	Purpose	Number of officials accompanying	Airline	Cost
						£
Brussels	18/1/93	1 day	ECOFIN	Five	Jet	295.00
Brussels	15/2/93	1 day	ECOFIN	Three	Jet	213.00
London	11-12/3/93	2 days	CIPFA	One	Jet	150.00
Brussels	15/3/93	1 day	ECOFIN	Five	Aer Lingus	3,557.20
New York	16-19/3/93	4 days	St. Patrick'sDay Parade	Three	Aer Lingus	11,922.41
Zurich	23/3/93	1 day	IFSC Clients	Four	Jet	207.00
Luxembourg	19/4/93	1 day	ECOFIN	Five	Jet	349.00
London	26-27/4/93	2 days	EBRD	Four	Jet	376.00
Denmark	21-22/5/93	2 days	ECOFIN	Three	Jet	386.00
Luxembourg	7/6/93	1 day	ECOFIN	Five	Jet	387.00
Brussels	12/7/93	1 day	ECOFIN	Five	Jet	338.00
Brussels	1-2/8/93	2 days	ECC FinanceMinisters	Two	Jet	237.00
Brussels	13/9/93	1 day	ECOFIN	Five	Aer Lingus	3,601.98
Washington	27-30/9/93	4 days	IMF	Four	Jet	2,500.00

Total Number of Trips — 14.

Please note the cost of using the Government jet has not been included in these costings.

It is too early yet for my Department to have the full details of the costs involved in some of the later trips.

Bernard Allen

Question:

144 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Finance the number of visits his Ministers of State have made abroad since taking up office; the destination, date and duration of these visits; the purpose of these visits; the number of officials and others who accompanied them; the airline used on each visit; and the overall cost of each visit.

Minister for Finance (Mr. B. Ahern)

The Minister of State at the Department of Finance (OPW) has made no trips abroad in his official capacity as Junior Minister at my Department.

A total of three visits abroad were made by the Minister of State, Deputy Eithne Fitzgerald, in the period 15 January 1993 to 6 October 1993, inclusive. The details are as follows:

Destination	Date	Duration	Purpose	Number of officials accompanying	Airline	Cost
						£
Brussels	11/3/93	1 day	National Plan	Two	Sabena	1,126.71
Brussels	14-15/4/93	1½ days	National Plan	One	Sabena	503.36
Paris	4-5/5/93	1½ days	OECD	None	Aer Lingus	2,083.22

Total Number of Trips — Three.

As this Department is not charged for use of the Government Jet this cost has not been included in the figures.

On each of the Brussels trips the Minister was accompanied by one official from the Office of the Tánaiste. As these costs were not incurred by my Department they are not included.