22 March 2005

Social & Family Affairs

Mileage Expenses

Ciarán Cuffe asked the Minister for Social & Family Affairs  the amount paid out, and the total mileage registered in mileage allowances claimed by employees in his Department in the last period for which figures are available.

Minister for Social & Family Affairs: There is a significant level of travel expenditure in my Department's budget, arising from the dispersed nature of my Department's services and, inter alia, the fact that a considerable level of investigative work must be carried out in the course of delivering the Department's services. The total amount of home travel paid out by my Department in 2004, the last complete year for which figures are available was Eur 2,142,217.85. This includes car mileage totalling 1,818,026 miles, bus/train fares, and other miscellaneous travel costs;car mileage expenses are not recorded separately.