asked the Taoiseach in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

Neither the Minister of State nor I used any form of conveyance, paid for out of public funds, other than the State cars assigned to us, in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979.

113.

asked the Minister for Finance in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

No form of conveyance other than a State car was used by me as Minister for Finance or by the Minister of State at the Department of Finance since 1 January 1979.

114.

asked the Minister for the Public Service in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

The answer is in the negative in relation to both myself and the Minister of State at the Department of the Public Service.

115.

asked the Minister for Health in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

No payment has been made out of public funds in respect of travel of the nature mentioned in the Deputy's question.

116.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

No payment has been made out of public funds in respect of travel of the nature mentioned in the Deputy's question.

117.

asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

On 21 June 1979 in connection with an official visit to Cork I availed of a flight on the aircraft engaged in routine fishery protection duties to travel from Dublin to Cork and back. The journey involved no additional charge to State funds.

118.

asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

The only occasion on which I or the Minister of State used a form of conveyance instead of the State cars assigned to us was on 11 January 1979, when I availed of an Air Corps helicopter to travel to Bantry and back to attend Mass for the victims of the Whiddy Island disaster. The cost of the round trip was £90.

119.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

On 2 May 1979 I travelled from Dublin to Killarney by Army Air Corps helicopter and returned to Dublin by the same conveyance on 3 May 1979. The distance covered was 382 miles approximately. The estimated cost of the journey was £82.

No other journeys of the type mentioned in the question were undertaken by me in my capacity as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs or by the Minister of State at my Department.

120.

asked the Minister for Agriculture in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979, (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

Apart from the State cars assigned to myself and to the Minister of State at my Department no other form of conveyance paid for out of public funds was used in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979.

121.

asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

No other form of conveyance was used by me or the Ministers of State at my Department in the period specified.

122.

asked the Minister for Defence in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

Since 1 January 1979 I travelled by air Corps helicopter on official business within the State as follows:

No form of conveyance other than State car was used by the Minister of State attached to my Department on official business within the State in the same period.

123.

asked the Minister for Justice (i) the total number of miles covered by all State cars assigned to each member of the Government and Minister of State since 1 January 1979 and (ii) the measures, if any, taken to conserve fuel in the use of these vehicles.

142.

asked the Minister for Justice in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 142 together.

The total number of miles covered by the official cars assigned to members of the Government and Ministers of State during the period 1 January to 25 June 1979 was as follows:

The Deputy will appreciate that the nature of ministerial duties render it impossible to lay down any hard and fast measures for the conservation of fuel in the use of official cars and it must be left to individual Ministers to take due account of the need to conserve fuel in the use of the official cars assigned to them.

As far as I and the Minister of State at my Department are concerned, no form of conveyance other than the official cars was paid for out of State funds in respect of travel on official business within the State during the period since 1 January 1979.

124.

asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

On one occasion, 5 February 1979, I found it necessary to be provided with the services of an Air Corps helicopter. The distance covered was 160 miles and the cost, estimated by the Department of Defence, was £53.33.

The Minister of State at my Department on one occasion, 11 January 1979, travelled in a helicopter provided for the Minister for Tourism and Transport.

125.

asked the Minister for the Environment in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

In the course of travel on official business, paid for out of public funds, within the State since 1 January 1979 the Minister of State at my Department and myself used only the State cars assigned.

126.

asked the Minister for Labour in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

The answer to (i) is "no" and (ii) does not arise.

127.

asked the Minister for the Gaeltacht in relation to himself (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to him was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

Ní raibh aon íocaíocht mar sin i gceist.

128.

asked the Minister for Education in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

The answer to the first part of the question is no. Accordingly, the second part does not arise.

129.

asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development in relation to (a) himself and (b) each Minister of State attached to his Department, (i) if any other form of conveyance used instead of the State car assigned to each, was paid for out of public funds in the course of travel on official business within the State since 1 January 1979; (ii) the nature and cost of such conveyance, the distance covered, and the date or dates on which it was used.

The information requested in the Deputy's question is as follows: (i) Yes; (ii) Train journey from Dublin to Cork (return) on 10 January 1979; the distance covered was 320 miles approximately (by road) and the cost was £12.00.