In response to the Deputy's question, the total travel expenses and reimbursement costs incurred by my Department since 2011 are outlined in the following table.
|
Year
|
Amount
|
|
2011
|
€180,241
|
|
2012
|
€299,887*
|
|
2013
|
€426,953**
|
|
2014
|
€291,841
|
|
2015
|
€321,569
|
|
2016
|
€187,388
|
*The number of staff in my Department has increased significantly since 2012 with the establishment and further development of Shared Services Centres, the Office of Government Procurement and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer.
** The increase in expenditure during 2013 was as a result of Ireland's Presidency of the European Council.