Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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203. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the cost of his Department's stand at the National Ploughing Championships 2018; the number of staff deployed from his Department for the week; and the cost of same. [40357/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform did not have a stand at the National Ploughing Championship 2018. However my Department, as the Government Department with responsibility for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), had one member of staff deployed in the European Union Commission tent for two days. The total expenses, which included travel by public transport, admittance charges and subsistence in accordance with Circular 06/17 "Domestic Subsistence Allowances", amounted to €197.00.

The purpose of attendance, at this major event, was to promote and communicate the work of the European Structural Investment Funds. Over the 2014-2020 programming period these funds will be used, together with Irish Government and Local Authority funding, to invest €6.2 billion in Ireland, across the whole of the country in support of initiatives in education, research and job creation to help create a sustainable and healthy economy across the whole of the country.