John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 86: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the costs that are borne by his Department relative to his constituency office and home such as telephone, IT services and so on; if the lease or rent of a constituency office is paid or part paid for by his Department; the number of civil servants appointed to carry out constituency work for him based in the Department or in the constituency office; the costs involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15177/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The following staffing costs are borne by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for my constituency office:

My constituency office is based in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Iveagh House. ICT facilities are provided to each member of staff from Department stocks and include PC, telephone, print, fax and appropriate software licences. The estimated annual cost to provide such services is €3,750.

In addition my Department provides me with a fax machine in my home and have installed a dedicated line to this effect. The cost to install this service was €588 with an on-going monthly line rental of €25.36.

I occupy the same accommodation in Iveagh House, St. Stephen's Green as previous Ministers. The value of this property, which is owned by the State, is a matter for the Office of Public Works.

It is not possible to isolate the cost of utilities and accommodation-related services for these offices, i.e. cleaning and waste disposal, from the overall bills in respect of the buildings in question.