Vol. 478 No. 6
148 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Justice the total cost of ministerial transport for the years 1995 and 1996; and if he will give details of the guidelines established as contained in section 59 of A Government of Renewal. [11711/97]
Twelve new vehicles were purchased for the Ministerial fleet in 1995 at a cost of £453,600 and the estimated running cost of the fleet for that year, including petrol, service, maintenance and repairs, was approximately £200,000. Thirteen new vehicles were purchased for the ministerial fleet in 1996 at a cost of £438,725. Some of the existing cars went into the spare fleet and some of the older cars were disposed of. It is estimated that the running cost of the fleet in 1996, including petrol, service, maintenance and repairs, was approximately £225,000. This figure does not include the cost of Garda drivers who work on a week-on week-off basis.
In relation to the Government jet, this is a matter for the Department of Defence.
Section 59 of the policy document, A Government of Renewal, concerns the establishment of a committee to conduct a full review of all ministerial transport, having regard to issues of cost and cost-effectiveness, efficiency, security and flexibility. The options put forward by this committee are still under consideration.
