Vol. 466 No. 2
143 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Defence the total cost of business class travel incurred by civil servants in his Department in 1995; the destinations to which officials travelled; and his policy on the use of business class travel. [11141/96]
The total cost of business class and other non-economy rate air travel incurred by civil servants in the Department in 1995 was £14,622. The destinations were as follows: London, Birmingham, Paris, Brussels, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Beirut and New York.
Travel by business class, or other non-economy rate, air travel is generally availed of in circumstances where the cost effective options of the business class, or similar scheme, are in the public interest. The advantage in question include such as the following: where the flight costs include free overnight accommodation, e.g. as on some Brussels trips; where bookings can be made and later cancelled without penalty; when air flights seats are not otherwise available for urgent connections; when easy transfer between airliness is possible in the event of unforeseen problems; the latter can be particularly important in areas like the Middle East.
144 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Defence the total cost of all travel undertaken by civil servants in his Department in 1995; his policy in relation to such travel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11155/96]
The total cost of all travel undertaken by civil servants in the Department of Defence in 1995 was approximately £100,000. As a principle of general policy, all travel undertaken by staff of the Department is arranged with due regard to efficiency and cost effectiveness.
