Written answers
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Department of Defence
Departmental Expenditure
9:00 pm
Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 1022: To ask the Minister for Defence the amount spent by him and Ministers of State, officials, persons in agencies, offices or bodies under the remit of his Department, on foreign travel in the period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1435/09]
Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy is set out as follows.
| Area | Amount spent on Foreign Travel in the period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008 |
| Department | €164,165 |
| Defence Forces | €1.973m. The bulk of this expenditure was incurred on the deployment and rotation of Defence Forces personnel serving overseas on Peace Support Missions |
| Civil Defence Board | €2,803 |
| Coiste an Asgard | €1,741 |
| Army Pensions Board | Nil |
I availed of the Ministerial Air Transport Service for foreign travel in the period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008, as follows:
| Aircraft | Date | Return Date | Min. Time on Board | Route |
| Gulfstream IV | 13/02/08 | 13/02/08 | 190 minutes | Baldonnel – Paris – Baldonnel |
| Gulfstream IV | 04/03/08 | 06/03/08 | 370 minutes | Baldonnel – Shannon – Sarajevo – Shannon – Baldonnel |
| Gulfstream IV | 23/04/08 | 24/04/08 | 490 minutes | Baldonnel – Pristina – Skopje – Pristina – Vienna – Shannon – Baldonnel |
| Gulfstream IV | 25/05/08 | 25/05/08 | 105 minutes | Baldonnel – Shannon – Brussels – Baldonnel |
| Gulfstream IV | 16/06/08 | 18/06/08 | 780 | Baldonnel – Shannon – N'Djamena – Shannon – Baldonnel |
| Gulfstream IV | 09/11/08 | 10/11/08 | 260 | Baldonnel – Shannon – Cork – Brussels – Cork – Shannon – Baldonnel (Shared with Minister for Foreign Affairs) |
| Gulfstream IV | 14/12/08 | 16/12/08 | 1250 | Baldonnel – Knock – Bangor (Maine) – Austin (Texas) – Bangor (Maine) – Baldonnel(Shared with An Tánaiste) |
| Gulfstream IV | 22/12/08 | 22/12/08 | 405 | Baldonnel – Pristina – Baldonnel (Shared with An Taoiseach) |
| Learjet 45 | 05/02/08 | 05/02/08 | 80 | Baldonnel – Shannon – Baldonnel (Shared with Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment |
| Learjet 45 | 30/09/08 | 30/09/08 | 40 | Baldonnel – Shannon – Baldonnel (Shared with An Tánaiste) |
| Learjet 45 | 18/11/08 | 18/11/08 | 40 | Baldonnel – Shannon – Baldonnel (Shared with An Taoiseach & Minister for Education) |
In February 2008 the then Minister for State at my Department, Mr. Tom Kitt, T.D. availed of the Ministerial Air Transport Service for foreign travel as follows:
| Aircraft | Date | Return Date | Min. Time on Board | Route |
| Learjet | 21/02/08 | 22/02/08 | 310 minutes | Baldonnel – Ljubljana – Baldonnel |
With regard to cost, my Department follows the normal practice in the aviation business of costing aircraft by reference to the cost per flying hour under either of two headings:
(a) The direct cost, i.e. the costs which are additional to those associated with having the aircraft and which only arise when the aircraft is flown including maintenance, fuel and support services; and
(b) The total cost, i.e. the direct cost plus the costs associated with having the aircraft, i.e. depreciation and personnel costs.
The costs associated with Air Corps aircraft used in provision of Ministerial Air Transport Service are as follows:
| Aircraft | Average Direct Cost Per Hour | Average Total Cost Per Hour |
| € | € | |
| Gulfstream | 4,050 | 7,890 |
| Learjet | 1,270 | 2,950 |
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