Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 15: To ask the Minister for Education and Science, further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 606 and 607 of 17 December 2008, the sums of money spent on hotel accommodation by his Department and each State agency under the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2004 to 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7912/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The duties and responsibilities of my Department require attendance by Ministers and officials at a range of meetings and events, in Ireland and overseas, which sometimes necessitate overnight stays in hotels. Typically, the types of event which necessitate an overnight stay include meetings, conferences and training and development events in Ireland, EU meetings as well as those of international organisations such as the OECD, UNESCO and the Council of Europe, and specific events such as World Skills, Euro Skills and the National Skills competitions.

Hotel accommodation is sourced in line with public procurement guidelines, and quotes are obtained from a number of venues with suitable facilities. When I, or the Ministers of State at my Department, travel overseas, advice is usually sought from the local Irish diplomatic mission in relation to obtaining suitable and cost-effective accommodation for official events abroad. My Department is very conscious of the need to keep the costs of hotel accommodation to a minimum, and direct expenditure on hotels in 2008 was down 14% on 2007 levels and 20% on 2006 levels.

For the period 2004 to 2008, my Department spent the following rounded amounts on hotel accommodation:

In 2004, the year of Ireland's EU Presidency, €546,000;

In 2005, €235,000;

In 2006, €277,000;

In 2007, €259,000;

In 2008, €221,000.

When the Department's officers travel within Ireland and are required to stay overnight, they are normally paid a subsistence rate to cover the costs of meals and overnight accommodation. It is therefore not possible to give a specific breakdown for hotel accommodation for this type of travel. Therefore, the amounts I have given include only those payments for hotel accommodation in respect of home travel that were billed directly to my Department.

With regard to bodies under the aegis of my Department the expenditure incurred and the procurement arrangements are a matter for each agency and this information is not collated centrally by my Department. In December 2008 I wrote to the Chairpersons of agencies under my Department's aegis to remind them of the need to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in respect of expenditure of public funds generally and in particular in relation to business travel and subsistence expenditure. I emphasised the importance of the agencies being in a position to provide assurance, through appropriate control procedures and monitoring arrangements, that the necessary measures are in place to ensure compliance with prescribed procedures in relation to expenditure and that such procedures are documented and being implemented as required by statute, regulation or guideline as appropriate.