Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Those arrangements were made by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Speaking for my Department, there is a policy based on guidelines laid down by the Department of Finance that is applicable to all staff. It sets out the policy regarding appropriate class of air travel, standard of hotels to be used and use of own transport. The aims of that policy are to minimise official travel costs and achieve value for money for expenditure necessarily incurred consistent with the effective discharge of official duties.

In regard to the question about procurement arrangements for sourcing hotel accommodation, the central contract with travel booking services for Government officials includes provision for making hotel reservations. That contract was awarded following a European Union-wide advertisement procurement process conducted under the lead of the Department of Finance earlier this year.

Hotel bookings are centrally co-ordinated. For example, in my Department, the finance unit ensures that the travel policy and Department's guidelines are complied with. A person has responsibility for making bookings on the basis of a decision by the Department on the options put forward by the company that has the contract on behalf of the State. Where Department officials book their own hotel accommodation they are required to adhere to the travel policy. I agree with what was said. All of those issues are being carefully considered.

On the question of transport hire, again, it is the responsibility of the overseas missions of the Department of Foreign Affairs to recommend transport arrangements for visiting official delegations. More appropriate arrangements are being put in place, rightly so, on the availability of car hire. All of that is being done. Sanction by my Department's officials is given if they are satisfied that best value for money is to be achieved. The control and review mechanisms are in place because we have to learn from those lessons.

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