Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 557: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the amount his Department paid in 2006 for car mileage expenses; the amount paid to cover rail and bus ticket expenses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9768/07]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The total amount of expenditure by my Department in respect of mileage, rail and bus tickets during 2006 is as follows:

Mileage — €58,546.63

Rail and Bus — €8,268.40

These figures represent the expenditure incurred by employees and my Department, including the National Archives, while travelling on official duties and takes account of rail and bus tickets purchased for travel outside the State.

Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 558: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the cost of energy used running his Department in the year 2002; the cost of doing so in 2006; the quantity of energy used in each of these years to which this cost relates; and his plans to reduce this usage as a contribution to meeting concerns regarding climate change. [9817/07]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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As my Department was not established until mid 2002 the costs of energy used in 2002 are not comparable with the costs incurred in 2006. Furthermore, in 2002, the National Museum of Ireland, the National Library of Ireland and the National Archives were an integral part of the Department and their energy costs were paid from the same subhead as those of the core Department. In 2006 the National Museum and Library were separate legal entities, with responsibility for all their own costs, having been established as statutory bodies in May 2005. It is not possible to separate out the costs in 2002 for the two bodies in the time available.

My core Department has offices located at 23 Kildare Street, Dublin 2 and Frederick Building, South Frederick Street, Dublin 2 but is not the main tenant in either building. The utility bills for the Kildare Street building are in the name of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The utility bills for Frederick Building are in the name of the Department of Foreign Affairs. In each case my Department pays an agreed percentage of the utility bills corresponding to the amount of floor space occupied. The cost is paid directly to the main tenant and not to the energy supplier. In 2006, a sum of €13,964 was paid to the Department of Foreign Affairs and a sum of €13,218 to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in respect of electricity charges. My Department shares the cost of central heating with the Houses of the Oireachtas and some other Government Departments on a pro rata basis. This cost amounted to €24,693 in 2006.

My Department opened new temporary decentralised premises in Fossa, Co Kerry on the 4th of September 2006. New accounts were opened at this time with the ESB and Calor Teoranta. At the end of 2006, a sum of €8,225 was paid to ESB and €844 to Calor Teoranta.

The National Archives, which is part of my Department, has accounts with the ESB and Bord Gáis. In 2006 an amount of €93,529 was paid to the ESB while an amount of €33,510 was paid to Bord Gáis.

I am very conscious of the need to conserve energy and to keep costs at a reasonable level. Data relating to the quantity of energy consumed was not kept up to 2006 but such records are being kept for 2007. Furthermore, the question of energy conservation was discussed at a recent meeting of my Department's Partnership Committee and a sub-committee has been established to consider the matter and to make recommendations.