The work of the Department of Foreign Affairs necessitates a considerable amount of overseas travel. My Department’s budget comes from two separate votes, Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Vote 27 - International Co-operation.
The Department is fully compliant with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidelines on official travel and also operates its own detailed internal travel guidelines. 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.
The requested details are provided in the table below. The total costs outlined in the table include the costs of transport, accommodation, and travel and subsistence claimed from end-June 2020 to date. The figures provided also include the costs of any accompanying private secretary and special advisers to the Minister.
2020
|
Purpose Of Travel
|
Ministerial Delegation (including Minister)
|
Destination
|
Travel Date
|
Return Date
|
Total Cost
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
1
|
Brussels
|
20.09.20
|
22.09.20
|
€761
|
|
Ministerial Visit to USA
|
2
|
Washington, D.C.
|
28.09.20
|
01.10.20
|
€6,354
|
|
Foreign & General Affairs Council
|
3
|
Luxembourg
|
11.10.20
|
13.10.20
|
€1,554
|
|
Ministerial Visit to France
|
2
|
Paris
|
03.12.20
|
03.12.20
|
€841
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
4
|
Brussels
|
06.12.20
|
07.12.20
|
€835
|
|
Ministerial Visit to Germany
|
4
|
Berlin
|
10.12.20
|
11.12.20
|
€419
|
2021
|
Purpose Of Travel
|
Ministerial Delegation (including Minister)
|
Destination
|
Travel Date
|
Return Date
|
Total Cost
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
3
|
Brussels
|
24.01.21
|
25.01.21
|
€736
|
|
Ministerial Visit to Turkey (Security Council)
|
3
|
Ankara/Hatay
|
26.01.21
|
28.01.21
|
€858
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
2
|
Brussels
|
21.02.21
|
22.01.21
|
€630
|
|
Ministerial Visit to Tehran (Security Council)
|
3
|
Tehran
|
06.03.21
|
08.03.21
|
€9,382
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
3
|
Brussels
|
21.03.21
|
22.01.21
|
€723
|
|
Political Consultations with UK Government
|
3
|
London
|
14.04.21
|
15.04.21
|
€813
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
3
|
Brussels
|
09.05.21
|
10.05.21
|
€870
|
|
Attendance at EU Foreign Affairs Ministers' Gymnich meeting
|
2
|
Lisbon
|
26.05.21
|
28.05.21
|
€465
|
|
Ministerial Visit to China
|
3
|
Guiyang
|
28.05.21
|
30.05.21
|
€15,444
|
|
Political Consultations with UK Government
|
2
|
London
|
03.06.21
|
04.06.21
|
€473
|
|
Ministerial Visit to Gulf States
|
3
|
Abu Dhabi and Riyadh
|
14.06.21
|
17.06.21
|
€18,634
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
3
|
Luxembourg
|
20.06.21
|
21.06.21
|
€1,055
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
3
|
Brussels
|
11.07.21
|
12.07.21
|
€855
|
|
Ministerial Visit to Kenya and Somalia
|
3
|
Nairobi and Mogadishu
|
20.07.21
|
24.07.21
|
€1,262
|
|
Ministerial Visit to Ukraine - attendance at Crimea platform summit and Embassy opening
|
3
|
Kyiv
|
22.08.21
|
23.08.21
|
€59
|
|
Attendance at EU Foreign Ministers' Gymnich Meeting and British Irish Association Conference, Oxford
|
3
|
Ljubljana and Oxford
|
01.09.21
|
04.09.21
|
€4,369
|
|
Attendance at UN Security Council Meeting
|
2
|
New York
|
08.09.21
|
10.09.21
|
€5,424
|
|
Attendance UN General Assembly and Ministerial visit to Washington, D.C.
|
4
|
New York and Washington D.C.
|
20.09.21
|
24.09.21
|
€17,360
|
|
Ministerial visit to Manchester: Opening of Consulate General for the North of England
|
3
|
Manchester
|
30.09.21
|
01.10.21
|
€2,054
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
4
|
Luxembourg
|
17.10.21
|
18.10.21
|
€1,305
|
|
Attendance at Ireland-Wales Forum
|
4
|
Cardiff
|
22.10.21
|
22.10.21
|
€1,784
|
|
Ministerial Visit to Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territory and Jordan
|
4
|
Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Amman
|
01.11.21
|
05.11.21
|
€7,299
|
|
Attendance at COP26
|
4
|
Glasgow
|
09.11.21
|
10.11.21
|
€1,100
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
3
|
Brussels
|
14.11.21
|
16.11.21
|
€1,795
|
|
British Irish Intergovernmental Conference
|
4
|
London
|
01.12.21
|
02.01.21
|
€2,521
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
4
|
Brussels
|
12.12.21
|
13.12.21
|
€1,099
|
2022
|
Purpose Of Travel
|
Ministerial Delegation (including Minister)
|
Destination
|
Travel Date
|
Return Date
|
Total Cost
|
|
Meeting with UK Foreign Secretary
|
4
|
London
|
06.01.22
|
07.01.22
|
€2,020
|
|
Defence Informal and EU Foreign Ministers' Gymnich meeting
|
3
|
Brest
|
12.01.22
|
14.01.22
|
€903
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
4
|
Brussels
|
23.01.22
|
24.01.22
|
€1,207
|
|
Ministerial Visit to Iran (Security Council)
|
4
|
Tehran
|
13.01.22
|
15.01.22
|
€5,430
|
|
Munich Security Conference & EU Foreign Affairs Council
|
5
|
Munich and Brussels
|
19.02.22
|
21.02.22
|
€3,367
|
|
Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council
|
4
|
Brussels
|
25.02.22
|
25.02.22
|
€490
|
|
Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council
|
4
|
Brussels
|
04.03.22
|
04.03.22
|
€2,114
|
|
Attendance at United Nations Security Council Meeting
|
4
|
New York
|
07.03.22
|
08.03.22
|
€12,560
|
|
Ministerial visit to Poland
|
3
|
Warsaw
|
17.03.22
|
18.03.22
|
€247
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
2
|
Brussels
|
20.03.22
|
21.03.22
|
€1,355
|
|
Ministerial visit to Rome
|
4
|
Rome
|
31.03.22
|
31.03.22
|
€668
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
4
|
Luxembourg
|
10.04.22
|
11.04.22
|
€515
|
|
Ministerial visit to Ukraine
|
2
|
Kyiv
|
13.04.22
|
15.04.22
|
€894
|
|
Attendance at United Nations Security Council Meeting
|
3
|
New York
|
18.04.22
|
20.04.22
|
€8,673
|
|
Ministerial visit to Washington, D.C. & Boston
|
4
|
Washington, D.C. and Boston
|
27.04.22
|
30.04.22
|
€8,271
|
|
Ministerial visit to Spain
|
4
|
Madrid
|
12.05.22
|
13.05.22
|
€988
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council
|
4
|
Brussels
|
15.05.22
|
16.05.22
|
€530
|
|
Handover Event with Italy for the Presidency of the Council of Europe
|
3
|
Turin
|
19.05.22
|
20.05.22
|
€3,064
|
|
Ministerial visit to Estonia and Latvia
|
3
|
Tallinn and Riga
|
25.05.22
|
26.05.22
|
€3,873
|
|
Attendance at the EU-Jordan Association Council
|
4
|
Amman
|
01.06.22
|
02.06.22
|
€517
|
|
Ministerial visit to Finland and Sweden
|
3
|
Helsinki and Stockholm
|
06.06.22
|
08.06.22
|
€1,914
|
|
Ministerial visit to Turkey and Greece
|
4
|
Hatay, Ankara, and Athens
|
14.06.22
|
17.06.22
|
€3,059
|
|
Foreign Affairs Council and attendance at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as President
|
4
|
Luxembourg and Strasbourg
|
19.06.22
|
21.06.22
|
€1,146
|
