Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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106. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the international events and engagements he has attended at which members of the media were also in attendance as part of the Government delegation, since the formation of the Government; the media organisation they represented; the cost involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41602/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Since my appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs on 17 December 2022, I regularly travel overseas representing the Government at a range of bilateral and multilateral meetings and events.

Accredited members of the media who also travel to these events are not part of the Government Delegation, which is comprised of Departmental officials, advisers and myself only.

In some instances, media will choose to travel to attend aspects of my programmes overseas, to report on the event in question or to conduct interviews or obtain comments on the margins of events.

Travel and hotel costs associated with media organisations choosing to cover visits and events of this nature, including commercial flight and accommodation costs, are not covered by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

In rare instances where commercial flights are not available for either the delegation or the media – due to, for example, the security situation in a specific region at a particular time - travelling media are, on occasion, accommodated on the delegation aircraft where space allows. Media organisations availing of flight seats in these rare instances are not asked to contribute towards the costs involved.

In cases where media organisations are travelling to attend events I will also be attending overseas - such as UN High Level Week in New York last month or my recent visit to Kenya and Ethiopia in July – my Department can and does offer logistical support, including advice on visa and accreditation issues where these arise.