Michael Noonan
Question:7 Mr. Noonan asked the Taoiseach if the total cost of his visit to Brazil and Argentina has been calculated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26479/01]
Government Press Office. - Official Travel.
The cost arising to my Department to date from my official visits to Brazil from 18 to 22 July and Argentina from 22 to 24 July is £116,757 – 148,25. It has not yet been finalised. In addition, an air taxi was chartered by the Department of Defence for travel within and between Brazil and Argentina. The cost of the air taxi was £190,949 – 242,455. Outstanding invoices in respect of hotel accommodation in Brazil and official entertainment in Brazil and Argentina will be forwarded to my Department by the Department of Foreign Affairs in due course.
A breakdown of the costs to date is outlined in the following tabular statement.
Cost of official visits to Brazil and Argentina
|
Description |
£ |
|
|
Air travel |
77,354 |
98,239 |
|
Travel and subsistence |
7,747 |
9,838 |
|
Car hire (Brazil) |
2,594 |
3,294 |
|
Accommodation (Argentina) |
12,180 |
15,468 |
|
Car hire (Argentina) |
5,897 |
7,489 |
|
Equipment hire (Argentina) |
1,063 |
1,350 |
|
Mobile phone charges (Argentina) |
2,254 |
2,862 |
|
Interpreter (Argentina) |
817 |
1,037 |
|
Description |
£ |
|
|
Gifts (A number of gifts were not presented and have been returned to general stock) |
6,851 |
8,700 |
|
Total |
116,757 |
148,277 |
The Taoiseach previously confirmed that the cost was £274,000 but that other bills were outstanding. Could he explain the high cost of the air taxis which were hired for internal travel? What was the justification for using £190,000 for the hire of private aeroplanes rather than scheduled flights?
I accept the cost of air taxis is high. However, this involved the cost of arranging it. It was not possible within the six days of the visit to take in the two countries, including visits to Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, without taking internal flights. It would have been impossible to complete the programme using scheduled flights. The air taxi was, therefore, essential. Not only would I not have been able to take in the two capitals, but I could not have visited the other cities. The advice, therefore, was to use air taxis, which we did.
In his original reply the Taoiseach stated that 16 people were on the trip. He mentioned two people from protocol who were sent to Brazil in advance because we do not have an embassy in the country. Are these two persons additional to the 16 and to which Department are they attached?
Subject to correction, I believe the people who travelled in the advance party of four were a person from my Department, one from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Campbell who travelled from Rome and linked up with us and an official who travelled from Mexico.
In general terms, what arrangements does the Taoiseach make for security when he travels abroad?
On normal visits I follow the practice which has been in place for years. One of my security officers travels with me on all visits. On the visit to Brazil and Argentina a senior member of the Garda Síochána also travelled with me following recommendations on security, particularly with regard to Brazil, where I visited the shanty areas. In the normal course of events, however, I travel with one security officer.
The Taoiseach's original reply stated that three security people accompanied him. Who was the third person?
The three security officers were my two security officers and a member of the Garda Síochána.
A senior Garda officer.
Yes.
What rank does he hold?
He is head of the SDU.
I emphasise I do not quibble with official visits abroad; I favour them. However, the figure of over £300,000 appears appallingly large. Does the Taoiseach, in retrospect, consider this amount of money justified in terms of benefits gained from the visit?
Yes. It was justified in terms of the opportunities it provided for the people travelling with me, including senior people from Enterprise Ireland, and the opportunity to visit projects in which the ODA programme invests money. It is a pity air taxis are so costly. The alternative, however, is to spend much more time abroad. I tend to take the view that when abroad I should always try to do as much as possible in as short a period as possible. On this occasion this necessitated hiring an air taxi. The Deputies know I have no objection to hauling through airports if that option is available.