Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 635: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount paid to civil servants by way of travel, subsistence or overnight allowances or payments for each of the years 2002 to the end of 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5676/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Details of amounts paid to civil servants by way of travel, subsistence or overnight allowances, including amounts paid to suppliers for travel services, are set out in the table below for the period in question. My Department employs approximately 1,300 staff who are stationed in over 40 locations throughout the country discharging our responsibility for environment and heritage matters, for housing and other infrastructure, for physical and spatial planning, and for local government. The Department also participates in international fora to address regional and global environmental problems including actively engaging with a range of EU and UN institutions and other international bodies. Staff of the Department travel on an ongoing basis in relation to these functions.

In addition my Department is a partner organisation in the "One Small Step" campaign which is a major public awareness initiative being piloted by the Dublin Transportation Office. It is designed to motivate motorists to examine their car usage patterns and to try alternative modes of transport for at least some of their journeys to benefit both themselves and the environment.