John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The view has to be "No" on trade missions. In exceptional circumstances, I think it says in the other correspondence that the Taoiseach can view that. There are and can be exceptional circumstances but generally speaking "No."

The Vice Chairman referred to the correspondence and asked why I wrote back. In the course of August, this correspondence was entered into without me knowing about it. I did not know that my simple question was going to cause 25 or more e-mails to senior civil servants in a Department taking their time to answer them when the economy was going into collapse. I did not know that was going to happen. I did not know it happened until I came back and I felt that I should answer it because I wanted to make the point in relation to the issues.