Emmet Stagg
Question:123 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of trips made by Irish civil servants in his Department over the past two years on official business to Luxembourg; and the cost of those trips. [17131/97]
Written Answers. - Official Travel.
Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs attend meetings of the Council of Ministers of the European Union which are held in Luxembourg in April, June and October each year. In the period January 1995 to October 1997 around 93 such ministerial councils were held in Luxembourg.
Following Luxembourg's assumption of the EU Presidency on 1 July 1997 travel to Luxembourg has increased as informal ministerial councils and a number of informal working group meetings are being held there during the current six month period of the Luxembourg Presidency.
Within certain limits, civil servants return airrail costs for travel to Luxembourg to attend ministerial meetings are recouped from the European Union. A large proportion of civil servants attending meetings in Luxembourg are based in the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels.
Accounting records do not readily identify numbers and costs in the way necessary to answer the Deputy's question in detail. A considerable length of time and level of resources would be required to elicit this information in a comprehensive and accurate manner. The diversion of scarce resources could not be justified in this case.
Emmet Stagg
Question:125 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the number of trips made by Irish civil servants in her Department over the past two years on official business to Luxembourg; and the cost of those trips. [17131/97]
The records of my Department show that in the past two years 40 individual trips were undertaken to Luxembourg on official business by civil servants of my Department.
The total cost to my Department to date in relation to these trips was £30,230.99.