Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 223: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount spent by each Minister engaged in Government business on commercial flights during 2006, 2007, 2008 and to date in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48227/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, Ministers serving at my Department, by the nature of its responsibilities, are obliged to undertake a significant amount of official travel overseas. In regard to official travel overseas, I have included below, in tabular form, the costs incurred on commercial flights from 2006 to date in 2009, in regard to Ministers and Ministers of States serving at my Department.

My Department is fully compliant with the Department of Finance guidelines on foreign travel. My Department also operates its own detailed internal travel guidelines and practises which ensure cost effective travel practises, both in Headquarters and throughout our network of 75 diplomatic missions abroad. The central aim of the Departmental travel policy, which applies to both Ministers and officials, is to minimise official travel costs and to achieve value for money for expenditure necessarily incurred, consistent with the effective discharge of official duties.

· It should be noted that MoS Dick Roche is also a Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and that other flight costs may be a charge on that Department.

It should also be noted that Ministers of State generally do not use the Government Jet and avail of scheduled flights in most instances.