Since the beginning of the year my Department has organised four functions related to Ireland's Presidency of the EU. Three functions took place in Dublin and one in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Details are as follows:
1. In February 130 delegates from the European Trade Union Confederation, the Social Platform of European Social Non-governmental Organisations and the European Environmental Bureau attended a conference in Dublin on investing in sustainable development. They were invited to a reception hosted by my Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern. Invitations were issued by e-mail.
2 In February 100 national experts on climate change attended a conference in Dublin on European emissions trading. I hosted a reception for them and their invitations were issued by e-mail.
3 I hosted a reception during the 7th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kuala Lumpur in February. Some 300 invitations were issued to EU delegates and Irish members of the business community in Kuala Lumpur. Some invitations were issued by post but the vast majority were distributed to EU delegates at the conference.
4 Earlier this month the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, hosted a reception and dinner for delegates attending an extraordinary meeting of the Bureau of the Committee of the Regions and its consultative commission in Dublin. As many as 240 invitations were issued, including an invitation to the Lord Mayor of Dublin. Invitations were either posted or delivered by hand.
Garda motorcycle escorts were not required for any of these functions. The final invoices for all four functions have not been received but the total cost for my Department is estimated in the region of €48,000. I do not know if the EU incurred any costs for these functions.
