Written answers
Tuesday, 27 September 2016
Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government
Departmental Expenditure
Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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337. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the total travel expenses and reimbursement costs incurred by his Department per annum from 2011 to 2015 and in 2016 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26859/16]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Details of the total business related travel expenses and reimbursement costs incurred by my Department since 2011 are set out in the following table:
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 (to 22 Sept) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
€1,439,235.78 | €1,891,342.56 | €1,811,620.17 | €1,399,278.50 | €1,448,604.13 | €814,135.98 |
The data in relation to expenditure from 2011 to 2015 reflect my Department’s then configuration as the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. The 2016 information reflects the current position following the transfer of certain functions to other Departments and the related staged realignment of financial and accounting transactions. The 2012 and 2013 information reflects additional travel expenses incurred during 2012 in preparation for and during the Irish EU Presidency in 2013.
In the context of official travel, it is the policy of my Department that public transport should be used wherever possible. Staff are only permitted to hire taxis or use their cars for official purposes where no suitable public transport is available, where public transport is available only at equal or greater expense or where the use of public transport would result in the loss of official time which it is necessary to avoid. Staff travelling between Departmental offices, where public transport options are available, may claim the costs of travel on the basis of public transport rates only.
My Department minimises the amount of travel to attend internal and external meetings in different locations through the extensive use of video conferencing facilities available in meeting rooms in its Custom House, Ballina and Wexford offices and through the use of internal desk to desk video conferencing.
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