Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2012
375. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount spent on food and drink by his Department; if he will provide a breakdown of what this involved; the occasions on which food and drink was provided; those present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37459/12]
View answerThe following table provides details of my Department's expenditure on refreshments for meetings and functions in 2011 and to date in 2012.
|
Year |
Expenditure |
|
2011 |
€73,067.17 |
|
2012 |
€37,166.16 |
The type of refreshments included are beverages, snacks and lunches for meetings, functions and in house courses. My Department engages on a regular basis with a broad range of stake holders within the wider education sector and offers refreshments as appropriate. In order to minimise costs, it is my Department's practice to hold meetings, functions etc at its offices and to utilise the services of in-house catering. Expenditure is monitored to ensure value for money.
