George Lee (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 801: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount that has been claimed in expenses by each Minister and Minister of State in his Department from 1997 to 2008; the reasons these expenses were claimed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31947/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have detailed below in tabular form the expenses incurred relating to motor travel allowance (mileage) and travel subsistence expenses incurred by all Ministers and Ministers of State who have served at my Department since January 2004. As our current electronic accounting system has only been in operation since January 2004, it has not been possible, in the time available, to retrieve comprehensive information for the earlier years. In addition to these expenses, Ministers and Ministers of State are also entitled to claim a set allowance for miscellaneous expenses, the maximum rates and conditions of which are set by the Department of Finance.

* 'Subs' relate to travel subsistence payments made for meals and incidental expenses incurred when engaged on official travel. The conditions and rates of these subsistence payments are set centrally by the Department of Finance.

** The conditions and rates of Mileage payments are also set centrally by the Department of Finance. Ministers of State are not provided an official State car but rather claim mileage for official travel made using their own vehicle.