Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

If somebody is working in or associated with a Ministry, normally the group travelling is cleared beforehand. In the case of a European Council meeting, the full delegations from all Departments are put to me for approval before they go. If a Department was making a case for an outside expert to come, a rare occurrence, my consideration is that it is not a good idea. It is better that the person should go directly in those circumstances and send his or her bill the normal way. It is the only way to get a clear line of distinction.

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