Since my appointment as Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in June 2017, the total cost of travel for myself and those that travel with me was €129,317. As the Deputy will appreciate, by nature of my Department’s responsibilities, I am obliged to undertake a significant amount of official travel overseas.
My Department complies with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidelines on official travel. The central aim of the Departmental travel policy is to minimise official travel costs and to achieve value for money for expenditure necessarily incurred, consistent with the effective discharge of official duties.