Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 May 1996

Vol. 466 No. 2

Written Answers. - Travel Costs.

Ivor Callely

Question:

82 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht 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. [11132/96]

Ivor Callely

Question:

83 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht 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. [11157/96]

Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (Mr. M. Higgins)

Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 82 agus Uimh. 83 le chéile.

I am not satisfied that the amount of staff time required to provide a detailed response to the Deputy's questions can be justified. I can inform him however that expenditure from subhead A2 (Costais Taistil agus Cothaithe) of my Department's Vote was £230,000 in 1995. The cost of business class travel by civil servants in my Department in 1995 was of the order of £40,000. The main destination travelled to was Brussels and the bulk of the expenditure in this regard is refundable by EU institutions.

The most economical travel arrangements are availed of as far as possible.

Ivor Callely

Question:

84 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for the Environment 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. [11133/96]

Ivor Callely

Question:

85 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for the Environment 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. [11147/96]

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Howlin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 85 together.

The total cost, including subsistence expenses, of official travel undertaken by civil servants in my Department in 1995, allowing for EU refunds, was £1,442,647 of which £158,739 related to foreign travel. Business class flights to the following destinations cost £64,988:

Amsterdam	Brussels	Leeds	Reykjavik
Boston/	Capetown	Lisbon	Rome
Washington	Copenhagen	Luxembourg	Seville
Canberra/	Esbjerg	Madrid	Sofia
Melbourne/	Exeter	Manchester	Strasbourg
Sydney	Edinburgh	Montreal	Salzburg
Barcelona	Frankfurt	New York	Stuttgart
Berlin	Glasgow	Oslo	Vienna
Birmingham	Geneva	Oviedo	Zurich
Bristol	The Hague	Prague
Budapest	London	Paris

It is my Department's general policy to ensure that only travel required for the efficient discharge of the Department's responsibilities is undertaken. In the case of air travel business class is used where flexibility and interchangeability of flights is required.