Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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534. To ask the Minister for Defence the numbers of Irish politicians or public officials attending the NATO summit, including Army officers as observers; and the cost of the attendance which will be bourn by the Irish Exchequer. [33875/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As Ireland is not a member of NATO, the question of attendance at the NATO Summit did not arise.

In accordance with usual practice, an invitation was extended to the Taoiseach to attend a meeting which took place on 4 September between NATO Heads of State and Government and non-NATO countries that contribute to the UN mandated and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan. I attended this meeting accompanied by a senior official from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

A total of four officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade attended meetings for Partners which were held in advance of the Summit. The total cost of their flights, accommodation and local transport costs amounted to €2308.86. In addition, subsistence is payable in accordance with the rates set out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

I, along with two officials from the Department of Defence and one member of the Defence Forces also attended the meeting of 52 Defence Ministers, representing NATO members and partners. The main purpose of this meeting was to reaffirm the relationship with NATO and to discuss improvements to interoperability between NATO Member Countries and Partners. The cost to be incurred by the Department of Defence, includes the cost for the use of the Ministerial Air Transport Service, the Lear Jet and some subsistence, which is payable to officials in accordance with the rates set out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Ireland will never deploy alone on peacekeeping missions. Interoperability with partners is central to the efficiency of such deployments. More importantly, the protection of our troops when deployed depends on interoperability with partners. This is achieved through membership of Partnership for Peace. Ireland’s involvement in Partnership for Peace has delivered significant improvements for the Defence Forces in terms of capability development and operational deployment. Training in this environment has been very beneficial in equipping Defence Forces personnel to comfortably operate alongside our European partners and troops from NATO countries and make a positive impact in contributing to international peace.

Ireland’s relations with NATO are conducted within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) and Partnership for Peace (PfP), which we joined in 1999. The EAPC is a forum for consultation involving all PfP participants on a wide range of issues, from peacekeeping, gender issues, peace and security to disaster relief.