Niall Collins
Question:116. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Taoiseach the cost of travel expenses for him and those that travel with him since his appointment. [30518/18]
View answerTuesday, 10 July 2018
Questions (116)
The cost of foreign and domestic travel expenses for me and those who travelled with me on official business since my appointment is as follows:
June 2017 - December 2017 - €118,245.32
January 2018 – end June 2018 - €108,894.43
The figures above include, but are not limited to, expenditure on items such as flights, hotel accommodation, rail tickets, bus and taxi fares, ground transport and subsistence payments. The 2018 figures to date are provisional and may be subject to revision once credit notes/refunds are processed in a small number of cases.
Not all invoices relating to travel undertaken in the first half of 2018 have been received.
I have not made any claims for subsistence allowance while on official travel abroad or within Ireland since my appointment as Taoiseach.
As Taoiseach, I regularly travel to participate in formal and informal meetings of the European Council, in Brussels and elsewhere. Particularly in the context of Brexit, I also place a high importance on engaging actively with fellow Heads of State and Government, both within the EU and more widely, to ensure that Ireland’s interests and concerns are fully appreciated and understood.
In keeping with the Government’s Global Ireland 2025 strategy, I also use international visits to promote Ireland’s trade, culture, investment and enterprise interests, as well as to engage with Irish communities and to hear at first hand their experiences and concerns.
On my visits I am accompanied by a small delegation, comprising senior officials/advisers and members of my private office, according to the particular requirements of the programme. The Minister of State for European Affairs also accompanies me to meetings of the European Council and on other European engagements as appropriate, however her travel expenses are met by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Detailed information on foreign travel costs for myself, my Advisers and senior officials, as well as costs related to the Government Chief Whip and Ministers of State are published on a monthly basis on my Department's website, once finalised.