Vol. 476 No. 7
177 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht his official duties, if any, on St. Patrick's Day; the official duties, if any, of the Minister of State at his Department; if so, the duration of his duties and his visit; the number of people in his delegation; if he will give a list of those people; the total cost and related costs in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7936/97]
I represented the Government at a number of official functions in Prague during the St. Patrick's Day weekend. These included attendance at a dinner for the Irish community in Prague; the official St. Patrick's Day Mass in St. Joseph's Church in Prague; the launch of Czech translations of works by Richard Kearney and Desmond Egan; the official St. Patrick's Day reception for Czech Government officials and the Diplomatic Corps; an official meeting with the Czech Deputy Minister for Culture, with responsibility for broadcasting; and the Irish Ambassador's reception for the Irish community in the Czech Republic. I was accompanied by my special adviser and private secretary. Details in relation to the costs incurred are not yet available.
The Minister of State at my Department had no official St. Patrick's Day duties which related to the remit of the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht.
