Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 362: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of commercial flights taken by staff of his Department in 2006; the cost of these flights; the destinations of these flights; the carriers used in taking these flights; the procedures in place to ascertain the best value for money in using commercial air travel by staff of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3850/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The total cost incurred by the Department of Foreign Affairs in respect of official commercial flights in 2006 relating to the discharge of official business amounted to €3,681,818. This covers, inter alia, the travel of staff of the 12 divisions of the Department at HQ, including Irish Aid, a significant part of whose work is servicing meetings and conferences overseas, as well as the travel, including home leave, of the staff of 74 Embassies, Consulates and other diplomatic offices outside of the State. It has not been possible in the time available to determine the exact number and destination of all flights taken by staff at home or abroad in 2006, or to establish all of the carriers used.

The Department's travel policy, which is based on the travel policy for Government Departments laid down by the Department of Finance, aims to minimise official travel costs and to achieve value for money for expenditure necessarily incurred, consistent with the effective discharge of official duties. In this regard, the Department avails of the services of Club Travel under the contract negotiated centrally by the Department of Finance.

Heads of Missions abroad and senior officers at Headquarters who are authorised to approve travel-related expenditure are required to ensure that only essential official travel is undertaken, that no more than the minimum number of officers travel on each occasion and that advantage is taken of the most economical means of transport available.