Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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31. To ask the Minister for Defence if he will outline his Department's role in the implementation of the new code of practice for the use of the Government jet in relation to the Ministerial Air Transport Service; if he will outline in tabular format average hourly costs, as well as the statistics on the use of the service by each travelling Minister and the Taoiseach including date of travel, destination, Ministerial time on-board and the number of passengers travelling for 2012-2013. [29125/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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In the Programme for Government a commitment was given to introduce a new code of practice for the use of the Ministerial Air Transport Service ensuring transparent and cost effective travel. The Department of the Taoiseach accepted lead responsibility for this commitment with my Department and the Defence Forces having a contributory role in its implementation. In line with this commitment, information relating to the Ministerial Air Transport Service is now published on my Department’s website and this information is updated on a monthly basis.

My Department follows the normal practice in the aviation business of costing aircraft by reference to the cost per flying hour under each of two headings as set out as follows:

- The direct cost, which includes costs which are additional to those associated with having the aircraft and which only arise when the aircraft is flown including maintenance, fuel and support services; and

- The total cost, which is the direct cost plus the costs associated with having the aircraft, including depreciation and personnel costs.

For clarity, an additional column has been included in the table showing the cost associated with having the aircraft regardless of whether it is flown.

Costs per Aircraft per flying hour

The statistics on the use of the service by each travelling Minister and the Taoiseach for 2012 and up to the end of May, 2013 are set out as follows.

2012-2013 MATS Statistics

Learjet 2012

Gulfstream IV 2012

Learjet 2013

Gulfstream IV 2013