Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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776. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there is a policy regarding the appropriate use of domestic flights in his Department and bodies under the aegis of the Department. [50120/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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All flight bookings by my Department are tightly controlled and air travel is only used when this is the most efficient manner to achieve business needs. Any request for a flight booking must specify a valid business reason and must be authorised at Assistant Secretary General level or equivalent. This approach applies to both domestic and foreign flights. Neither I nor any Minister of State or any of the staff in my Department have taken any domestic flights for work purposes over the past three years.

Regarding the 12 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.