Vol. 445 No. 9
3 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Taoiseach the number of days on which he has been absent from the country since his election as Taoiseach on 12 January 1993; the arrangements, if any, that are made for the discharge of his duties as head of Government while he is abroad, particularly when the Tánaiste is also absent; his views on whether these arrangements are satisfactory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [538/94]
4 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach if he will give details of each visit he has made outside this country since 12 January 1993; the purpose of each visit; the duration and the cost of each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [733/94]
5 Miss Harney asked the Taoiseach the plans, if any, he has for official trips abroad for the remainder of 1994; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [683/94]
107 Mr. Noonan (Limerick East) asked the Taoiseach the official journeys abroad which will be undertaken by him or any Minister of State attached to his Department between now and the end of the year; the purpose of each journey; and the projected cost of each journey. [624/94]
108 Miss Harney asked the Taoiseach the number of official trips abroad he has made since he took office; the number of persons that accompanied him on each of these trips; and the cost of the various trips. [844/94]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 3, 4, 5, 107 and 108 together.
Since 1 June 1994, when I last provided details of my travel abroad, I have made a further eight visits. The cost of official visits are to a very significant extent met by the host countries. The charge to my Department for the visits is estimated at £85,000. I consider that extracting the detailed figures as requested would serve no useful purpose.
Throughout the periods when I was abroad, I remained in charge of and in direct contact with my Department at all times. In accordance with long-standing practice, it was not necessary to assign my duties and functions during my absence to another member of the Government. In accordance with established practice the details of individual future engagements are announced as they arise.
From the very beginning of my period as Taoiseach I took a firm decision to work with people of Irish extraction, especially in the US, but also in other countries to gain their support in carrying through the objectives of Government both politically and economically. I believe their support is crucial to achieving success on the two key objectives of this Government, peace on the island of Ireland and substantial increases in employment and reductions in unemployment. Opposition spokes-people show little appreciation for these objectives when they criticise such visits for short term and narrow political advantage.
I stated when I took office that I intended, with my Ministers, to promote increased trade, expand inward tourism and to encourage international investment in Ireland by actively seeking and addressing potential investors, on a personal basis where necessary. Getting foreign businesses to set up here cannot be achieved by a small peripheral nation like ours by simply sitting at home and waiting for the world to knock on our door. I make no apology for pursuing this strategy and I intend to continue to do so in the national interest.
The Taoiseach is disingenuous in pretending that the purpose of the question is to prevent him from travelling abroad. We would all like to see him go abroad as often as he thinks worthwhile, but it is not good practice to be absent from the State when the Tánaiste and indeed the President are also absent. Will the Taoiseach indicate how often the position has arisen and how long it has continued where both he and the Tánaiste have been absent, and who has been nominated in those circumstances to be responsible for Government?
I do not assign my official duties to any Minister; when I am abroad I am in contact with my Department daily, sometimes nightly. The number of times this has arisen is a separate question and I do not have the details here, but it happens very rarely and not for very long periods.
That matter is referred to in the question. The Taoiseach will not escape that easily. My question specifically refers to the practice of being absent when the Tánaiste is also out of the country. How often has this occurred since the inception of the Government and for how many days or weeks? I remind the Taoiseach that one of the Ministers, Deputy Woods, indicated on radio that he was in charge while the Taoiseach and Tánaiste were away — the Minister for Finance and I do not know how many other Ministers were also absent on that occasion.
Far be it from me to take from the good work done by Deputy Woods as a member of Government. As the Deputy knows quite well, that has not happened very often.
Does the Taoiseach deplore the mirth of the Tánaiste and his Cabinet colleagues at the notion of the Minister, Deputy Woods, being in charge? Why did the Taoiseach not reply to my question about the details of visits since 12 January 1993? In the prudent administration of the affairs of this country it is occasionally proper and necessary that the Taoiseach is out of the country, but does he agree that the extent, number and frequency of visits in which he has engaged is bringing politics into disrepute? The Taoiseach cannot advance arguments about——
The Deputy seems to be embarking on a speech and time is precious in dealing with questions to the Taoiseach.
No, I am not; I am asking questions. Does the Taoiseach suggest he is furthering the peace process or attracting industry by attending meetings in Samoa, Hawaii, the Bahamas and a number of other exotic locations, the names of which were apparently supplied by the Government Information Service to The Irish Times in advance of these questions being taken?
That should be adequate.
Has it not reached the stage——
The Deputy and the House will observe that time for dealing with questions to the Taoiseach is fast running out.
Is it not an abuse of public funds that the Taoiseach should engage in visits and use the Government jet, the primary purpose of which is to attend fund-raising functions for Fianna Fáil, particularly in the United States? Does he intend to resort to this same method of travel at the expense of the taxpayer in his visit on 4 November, which was referred to last Saturday by one of his favourite columnists in the Irish Independent, Ms Phelan?
Please, Deputy Rabbitte let us have finality to this questioning. I call on the Taoiseach to reply.
Deputy Rabbitte does no service in misrepresenting the purposes of ministerial and Taoiseach's visits abroad and quoting places such as Samoa where we land for refuelling and no meetings are involved.
Did the Taoiseach stay on the plane?
If Deputy Rabbitte suggests that the Taoiseach and Ministers should stay in their offices pushing a pen rather than go out and look for business — this applies to big and small business as well as to running the country — and think business will come in, I disagree with him. We will leave it to the people to make up their minds as to who is right and who is wrong in this regard.
I agree.
I do not agree with Deputy Rabbitte that I should take a trip to Australia and New Zealand without breaking the journey in Hong Kong on the way and in Hawaii on the way back — I did useful business in Hong Kong. I know of no person who would travel to the other side of the world without taking 48 hours off before holding a meeting. I certainly did not have the opportunity to take 48 hours off, the most I had was 36 hours. However, that is the subject of a later question and I will not deprive Deputies of the opportunity to question me on it. Deputy Rabbitte will appreciate that trips to Brussels are certainly no enjoyment for any Minister.
Nobody objects to the Taoiseach going on worthwhile trips abroad but we would have imagined that when there was a crisis in the Government he would return. The Taoiseach said the cost to his Department of official visits is £85,000. What is the cost to the Exchequer of all his trips, including the cost to the Department of Defence?
I do not know what Deputy Harney is getting at. The question was answered in the normal manner and we have given the cost involved. The Deputy knows that the Government jet is on a separate account, that of the Department of Defence. That has always been the position.
Does the Taoiseach believe it is good practice and consistent with ethics in Government for him to attend Fianna Fáil Party fund-raisers while in the United States at the taxpayers' expense?
I made it quite clear, and I repeat for the information of Deputy Bruton and Deputy Rabbitte, that when I am abroad, if I have the opportunity at night after my business is done I am free to go wherever I like and see whoever I like, whether friends of Fianna Fáil in the United States or elsewhere.
On the question of the forthcoming fund raising event in New York on 4 November to which Deputy Rabbitte has referred, the Government jet will not be used. It has been made abundantly clear that where the exclusive purpose of a trip abroad is to raise funds for my party, as in the case of my trip to London and of my visit to New York on 4 November, the Fianna Fáil Party will meet the cost. When abroad on other business in the past on two or three occasions I availed of the opportunity to meet friends of Fianna Fáil and on two occasions to attend functions, and I reserve the right to do so. Deputies opposite should not engage in this nonsense and try to make people believe that the Government jet is used by Fianna Fáil for its own purposes. It is not and never has been.
Is there not at least one example where phoney official activities were built around a Fianna Fáil fund raising event in order that the airfare could be paid for by the taxpayer rather than by Fianna Fáil?
That is the worst effort yet.
Another one of these doctorates the Taoiseach is so pleased to receive? Does the Taoiseach agree — I hope the Tánaiste is listening — that it is unfair that a Government party is able to gain access to Government transport on official business to raise funds? Other parties are unable to raise funds in this way as they do not have access to Government transport. This matter should be dealt with in the Electoral Bill so as to ensure fairness between all parties in the matter of international fund raising.
Deputy Bruton has sunk to a new low in trying to suggest that anyone would arrange a trip abroad to facilitate fund raising. This is nonsense and he knows it.
It is not.
If the Deputy is jealous about the fund raising activities of Fianna Fáil as compared with those of Fine Gael——
I am not jealous.
——I can understand his frustration.
It is a serious point.
Having regard to his recent sojourn in County Wicklow would the Taoiseach agree that it is an ideal place to recover from an arduous worldwide itinerary such as the one he has undertaken?
I have had the pleasure of visiting County Wicklow on many occasions and I have always regarded it as a very nice place in which to relax.
The ideal place for a honeymoon.
Or a dirty weekend.
The nub of my question relates to the absence simultaneously of the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste from the State. Does the Taoiseach regard this as a satisfactory arrangement and will he try to ensure that this will not occur in the future?
This has happened infrequently in the past and it will happen less frequently in the future.
How many times?
I invite the Taoiseach, having regard to what he has said——
A question please, Deputy.
It is a question, Sir, I promise you.
It might take a while to get to it.
I am inviting the Taoiseach to agree or disagree with the report that appeared on the front page of The Sunday Times yesterday in which it was claimed that the cost to the taxpayer of these trips abroad is just short of £10 million.
I never comment in this House on articles which appear in any newspaper. I have not read the article concerned.
Democratic Left buys The Sunday Times.
