Written answers
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Department of An Taoiseach
Ministerial Travel
12:00 pm
John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 60: To ask the Taoiseach the number of foreign trips taken in 2007, 2008 and to date in 2009; the location of each; the number of people who travelled; the cost for each trip; if he will provide the information in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35234/09]
Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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46 foreign trips were undertaken by my predecessor and I from 2007 to end September 2009. The table below provides the date of each trip, location and the number of officials in each delegation.
| Date | Event | Number of People in Delegation |
| 14- 20 January 2007 | Gulf Region Trade Mission, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates | 11 |
| 30 January 2007 | Meeting with British PM, London | 6 |
| 4 February 2007 | Meeting with Northern Ireland, Secretary of State, Mr. Peter Hain, Wales | 6 |
| 8 - 9 March 2007 | EU Council, Brussels | 10 |
| 13-16 March 2007 | St. Patrick's Day, USA | 9 |
| 24 – 25 March 2007 | Taoiseach's Visit to Berlin to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome | 11 |
| 15 May 2007 | Addressed the Joint Houses of Parliament, London | 12 |
| 31 May 2007 | Visit to Berlin for a meeting with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. | 8 |
| 21 – 22 June 2007 | EU Council, Brussels | 13 |
| 21-22 September 2007 | Taoiseach's visit to Paris | 11 |
| 18 – 19 October 2007 | Informal EU Council, Brussels | 8 |
| 7 - 9 December 2007 | EU Africa Summit | 6 |
| 13 – 14 December 2007 | Lisbon Treaty Signing Ceremony, Lisbon & EU Council, Brussels | 9 |
| 14 - 18 January 2008 | Official visit to South Africa and Tanzania | 8 |
| 10 February 2008 | Meeting with British PM Gordon Brown and to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster, Manchester | 8 |
| 26 - 28 February 2008 | Official visit to Slovenia, Austria (including OSCE) and Poland | 8 |
| 16 - 18 March 2008 | St Patrick's Day visit to Washington | 8 |
| 29 April - 2 May 2008 | Official trip to Washington and Boston | 11 |
| 24 May 2008 | Visit to Cardiff | 5 |
| 19 – 20 June 2008 | EU Council, Brussels | 9 |
| 13 - 14 July 2008 | EU Mediterranean Summit, Paris | 8 |
| 15 - 18 July 2008 | Official visit to New York | 6 |
| 1 September 2008 | Extraordinary European Council | 6 |
| 24 - 26 September 2008 | UN Summit, New York | 7 |
| 26 September 2008 | British Irish Council Meeting, Edinburgh | 7 |
| 1 October 2008 | Meeting with President Sarkozy in Paris | 5 |
| 12 October 2008 | Meeting of the Eurogroup at Heads of State and Government level | 5 |
| 15 - 16 October 2008 | EU Council, Brussels | 8 |
| 21 - 26 October 2008 | ASEM Summit in China | 8 |
| 7 November 2008 | Informal EU Council, Brussels | 5 |
| 27 - 28 November 2008 | Meeting with Heads of State and Government in Finland and Sweden | 6 |
| 3 - 4 December 2008 | Meeting with Heads of State and Government in Luxembourg, Berlin and London | 6 |
| 5 December 2008 | Meeting with President Sarokzy in Paris followed by meeting with President Barroso in Brussels | 5 |
| 11 - 12 December 2008 | EU Council, Brussels | 8 |
| 22 December 2008 | Official Visit to Kosovo | 12 |
| 11 - 17 January 2009 | Official visit to Japan | 8 |
| 29 - 30 January 2009 | World Economic Forum, Davos | 6 |
| 20 February 2009 | British Irish Council Summit, Cardiff | 8 |
| 1 March 2009 | Informal meeting of Heads of State and Government, Brussels | 6 |
| 14 - 18 March 2009 | St Patrick's day visit to New York and Washington | 7 |
| 19 – 20 March 2009 | EU Council, Brussels | 8 |
| 7 May 2009 | Summit to launch the Eastern Partnership, Prague | 6 |
| 18 – 19 June 2009 | EU Council, Brussels | 9 |
| 27 – 30 August 2009 | Ted Kennedy's Funeral, Boston | 3 |
| 17 September 2009 | Informal EU Council, Brussels | 6 |
| 21 – 23 September 2009 | UN Climate Change conference New York | 6 |
The following table details the total annual cost of foreign travel in my Department which includes the cost of the above trips. It is not practicable to provide a breakdown of the cost for each trip, however I would be happy to provide details in relation to any specific queries the Deputy may have.
| Year | Annual Cost |
| 2007 | €416,942 |
| 2008 | €533,437 |
| 2009 (January to end September) | €292,184 |
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