Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the international flights taken by his Departmental staff on Department business during 2006; the number of flights to each destination; the number of domestic flights taken during 2006; the origin and destinations involved; the cost of flights; the flights that were taken on Government aircraft and those taken on normal scheduled airlines; if the carbon impact of these flights is taken into account during planning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8353/07]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Table 1 below provides details of international fights taken by staff of my Department on official business during 2006 and includes the number of flights to each destination and the cost involved. All of the flights listed in Table 1 were on normal scheduled flights.

The cost of many international flights taken by my Department's staff is recoupable in whole or in part from organisations such as the European Commission. Of the total cost of €309,184.39 for flights in Table 1, approximately €124,800 is recoupable.

Details of domestic flights taken by officials of my Department in 2006 are provided in Table 2. All of the flights listed in Table 2 were on normal scheduled flights.

Table 3 provides details of flights which staff of my Department made on Government aircraft in 2006. In all such cases, the staff in question travelled with me or with a Minister of State at my Department.

Although no formal accounting is currently carried out by my Department on the carbon impact of flights, any such impact must be balanced against the considerable benefits accruing to Ireland from business transacted on those journeys in terms of promoting trade, attracting inward investment and influencing international policy.