Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 148: To ask the Taoiseach if, during or following his meeting on 18 January 2005, with the President, Premier and Minister of Commerce of China, he received gifts; if so, the gifts he received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25731/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 149: To ask the Taoiseach if, during or following his meeting on 16 February 2005, with Prime Minister Bethuel Pakalitha Mosislli of the Kingdom of Lesostho, he received gifts; if so, the gifts he received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25732/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 150: To ask the Taoiseach if, during or following his meeting on 9 May 2005, with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he received gifts; if so, the gifts he received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25733/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 151: To ask the Taoiseach if, during or following his meeting on 26 September 2006, with Vice Premier Zeng of China, he received gifts; if so, the gifts he received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25734/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Taoiseach if, during or following his meeting on 7 December 2006, with President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt he received gifts; if so, the gifts he received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25735/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 153: To ask the Taoiseach if, during or following his meeting on 16 January 2007, with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, he received gifts; if so, the gifts he received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25736/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 154: To ask the Taoiseach if, during or following his meeting on 15 January 2008, with President Kikwete and Prime Minister Lowassa of Tanzania, he received gifts; if so, the gifts he received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25737/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 155: To ask the Taoiseach if, during or following his meeting on 18 February 2008, with Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia, he received gifts; if so, the gifts he received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25738/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 156: To ask the Taoiseach if, during or following his meeting on 10 March 2008, with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam, he received gifts; if so, the gifts he received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25739/08]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 to 156, inclusive, together.

I take it that the Deputy's questions concern gifts to my predecessor, who was Taoiseach when the meetings referred to took place.

Briefly, under the Ethics in Public Office Acts, gifts given to an office holder by virtue of his/her office which exceed €650 in value must be surrendered (where there is a doubt as to the value of gifts, my Department arranges for valuations through the Office of Public Works in accordance with the legislation). My Department does not keep a record of other gifts.

Office holders are required to include such gifts in the annual statements of registerable interests which they must make to the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPOC). These statements are subsequently forwarded by SIPOC to the Clerk of the Dáil for inclusion in the Register of Members' Interests, which is laid before the Dáil and published in Iris Oifigiúil. They are also published on the Houses of the Oireachtas website.

I understand that my predecessor made the necessary statements of interest to SIPOC for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 and listed any such gifts in them. His statements can be downloaded from the Houses of the Oireachtas website. Any such gifts that he received in 2008 will be due to be included in his statement of registerable interests for 2008 to be made in January 2009. I understand that no such gifts were received by him in respect of the meetings in 2008 mentioned in the Deputy's questions.