(2) with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008, Official Report, column 882W, on departmental travel, how many members of staff had their international travel paid for by his Department in the last 12 months.
The number of staff who travelled abroad in each of the last 12 months is shown in the following table.
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct USA 4 0 0 0 8 1 1 0 3 1 3 2 Europe 5 0 3 2 4 8 0 19 4 0 4 2 Republic of Ireland—Flights2 4 0 4 3 3 3 1 3 3 0 6 6 Republic of Ireland—Rail 14 3 6 8 0 9 8 7 11 10 4 14 1 Five of these staff travelled on the Eurostar. 2 Journeys made to the Republic of Ireland by staff using their private car cannot be identified except at disproportionate cost.
All official business travel undertaken by staff is paid for by the Department.