Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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183. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will revert to this Deputy on (details supplied) regarding air fares; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42079/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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All official travel undertaken by Ambassadors and Officers of my Department based overseas, is in accordance with the central aims of the Department’s travel policy, which is based on the travel policy for all Government Departments laid down by the Department of Finance, which 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 is the policy of the Department not to use first class air travel. Economy air travel is the preferred option. Business class air travel may be used in specific circumstances where the distance or the business need justifies it.

In the time available to answer this question it was not possible to extract details of travel by individual Ambassador as this would involve a significant trawl of records to prepare the list. The table below details the 2014 cost of air travel by Embassy. This includes the travel of the Ambassador and other Departmental Officers from that Embassy. The total cost of economy and business class air travel taken in 2014 is outlined in the table. There were no first class flights in 2014.