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Ministerial Travel

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 April 2014

Thursday, 3 April 2014

Questions (24)

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

Question:

24. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will make known the full costs of sending Ministers and Ministers of State to foreign lands to mark St. Patrick's Day; if he will point to any other nation that does similar; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10352/14]

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Written answers

St. Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity to promote Ireland’s economic and political interests overseas, with levels of publicity and media attention unmatched by the national day of any other country. Ministerial visits around this period are organised to ensure that we use this exposure to maximise the promotion of Ireland’s trade, tourism and investment interests and to spread a positive message about Ireland’s economic recovery. Each Minister and Department is responsible for their own costs and, where Embassies incur costs on behalf of Ministers, these are agreed with the Ministers’ offices in advance.

Before travelling, all Ministers are reminded that the programme of Ministerial visits for St. Patrick’s Day should be undertaken in the most cost efficient way possible. Ministers are also reminded that they should not travel with large delegations; first-class flights, hotel suites and hired limousines should not be used and that, where possible, Ministers should be accommodated in Ambassadors’ residences. While the full costs for 2014 are not yet known, with these guidelines on travel in place, the total cost of Saint Patrick’s Day travel in 2013 was just over €233,000, including accommodation, other transport, official gifts and incidental costs. Approximately 80% of this total related to flight costs.

In 2013 Ministers took part in 88 high-level political meetings arranged by the Embassy network as well as 70 focussed company engagements with potential to support new export opportunities or win new investments. As well as these individual meetings, the St. Patrick’s Day period is also used to promote trade, tourism and investment at larger business events and to promote Ireland in the international media. In 2013 for example, the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Ministers and Embassy network, together with the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and other state agencies promoted trade and investment in Ireland to 101 business events, attended by over 8,500 Irish and international company representatives leading to new leads for Irish exporters and for inward investment to Ireland.

They also promoted trade, tourism and investment with Ireland in op-eds and interviews in the international media – reaching, at a very conservative estimate, over 16.3 million people.

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