Written answers
Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Ministerial Travel
9:00 pm
Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 1362: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the destination, purpose and duration of each overseas trip taken by him between June 2002 and September 2004; the number and grade of civil servants who travelled on each of these trips; the names and roles of non-civil servants who travelled on each of these trips; if the travel tickets were booked centrally for each trip; if the travel costs were paid centrally for all persons on each trip; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1447/05]
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The information sought in respect of foreign travel undertaken by my predecessor between June 2002 and September 2004 is set out in the following table. The travel tickets in each case were booked centrally and paid for by my Department in respect of scheduled flights. The Department of Defence bears the costs in respect of travel by Government jet. The table shows those attending the meetings although in some cases officials would have travelled on different dates.
| Date | Destination | Official Party Attending Meeting | Purpose of Trip |
| 2002 | |||
| 18-20 July 2002 | Denmark (Sonderberg) | Assistant Secretary Private Secretary | Danish Informal Environment Council |
| 30 Aug-5 Sept. 2002 | Johannesburg | Secretary General, Assistant Secretary, 2 Principal Officers, Private Secretary, Monica Leech (Communications Consultant), Press Officer | World Summit on Sustainable Development, |
| 20-21 October 2002 | The Hague | Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, Assistant Principal Officer, Administrative Officer, Higher Executive Officer, Private Secretary, Monica Leech (Communications Consultant), Press Officer | Ospar Arbitration Oral Hearing, |
| 8-9 December 2002 | Brussels | Assistant Secretary, 2 Principal Officers, Economist, Private Secretary, Monica Leech (Communications Consultant), Press Officer | Environment Council |
| 2003 | |||
| 15-20 January 2003 | London | Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, Assistant Principal Officer, Private Secretary | 3rd Meeting of the British Irish Council Environment Sector |
| 13-16 February 2003 | Edinburgh | Assistant Secretary, Private Secretary, Press Officer | Meeting with Scottish Minister for Social Justice |
| 3-4 March 2003 | Brussels | Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, Private Secretary, Press Officer | Environment Council |
| 7-19 March 2003 | Brazil | Private Secretary, Press Officer | St. Patrick's Day Visit |
| 25 April-1 May 2003 | New York | Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, Assistant Principal Officer, Higher Executive Officer, Private Secretary Monica Leech (Communications Consultant), Press Officer | UN Commission on Sustainable Development |
| 20- 23 May 2003 | Kiev | Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, Senior Adviser, Private Secretary, Monica Leech (Communications Consultant) | 5th Ministerial UNECE Conference Environment for Europe in Kiev |
| 14-18 September 2003 | Prague; Ljubljana, Slovenia (via Munich); Warsaw (via Vienna); Budapest | 2 Assistant Secretaries, Principal Adviser, Principal Officer, Assistant Principal Officer, Private Secretary | Pre-Presidency Visit to Accession Countries and attendance at the 13th Conference of Ministers for Regional Planning in Slovenia |
| 4-6 October 2003 | Rome | Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, Private Secretary | Informal high-level meeting preparing for COP 9 (UN Climate Change Convention) |
| 19-20 November 2003 | Stockholm | Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, Assistant Principal Officer, Private Secretary Monica Leech (Communications Consultant), Press Officer | Pre-Presidency Visit |
| 27 November-1 December 2003 | London | Assistant Secretary, 2 Principal Officers, Private Secretary, Press Officer | Meetings with Office of the Mayor of London, Meeting with Secretary of State, Margaret Beckett |
| 10-11 December 2003 | Milan | Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, 2 Assistant Principal Officers, Senior Adviser, 2 Private Secretaries, Press Officer | Ninth Session of the Conference of the Parties to U N Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 9) |
| 17 December 2003 | Berlin | Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, Assistant Principal Officer, Private Secretary, Press Officer | Pre-Presidency Visit |
| 2003 | |||
| 19-20 January 2004 | Brussels | Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, Private Secretary, Press Officer | Minister's address to Environment Committee of the European Parliament |
| 11-20 February 2004 | Malaysia | Assistant Secretary, 3 Principal Officers, 3 Assistant Principal Officers, 3 Higher Executive Officers, 2 Clerical Officers, Private Secretary, Principal Adviser, 3 Inspectors Grade 1, 3 Inspectors Grade 3. Monica Leech (Communications Consultant), Press Officer Forestry Inspector, Department of Agriculture Botanist Grade 11, OPW Tom McLoughlin, Senior Scientific Officer Level 2, EPA Tara Shine, Consultant, Overseas Development Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs | Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Malaysia |
| 1-2 March 2004 | Brussels | Minister of State Gallagher, Assistant Secretary, 4 Principal Officers, Higher Executive Officer, 2 Private Secretaries | EU Environment Council |
| 18- 21 April 2004 | Paris | Assistant Secretary, Principal Officer, Assistant Principal, Administrative Officer, Private Secretary, Monica Leech (Communications Consultant), Press Officer | OECD — Environmental Policy Committee (EPOC) Ministerial Meeting in Paris |
| 24-30 April 04 | New York | Assistant Secretary, 2 Principal Officers, 2 Assistant Principal Officers, 2 Higher Executive Officers, Private Secretary, 3 Clerical Officers, Press Officer | Commission on Sustainable Development |
| 27-28 June 2004 | Luxembourg | Minister of State Gallagher, Assistant Secretary, 2 Principal Officers, Engineering Inspector, 2 Private Secretaries, Press Officer. | EU Environment Council |
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