Ivor Callely
Question:208 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the cost of the Irish Presidency to his Department. [25149/96]
Written Answers. - EU Presidency.
My Department was allocated a total of £52,000 under subhead A9 of the Department's Vote in respect of Presidency related activity. To date, just over £44,000 has been paid out under this subhead mainly in respect of the preparations for the recent WTO Ministerial Conference in Singapore and the temporary posting of an officer to the Irish Mission in Geneva for the duration of the Presidency.
The Deputy will appreciate that, because our Presidency is in the latter half of the year, there are certain items of expenditure which have only recently occurred and which will give rise to payments before the end of the year and in the new year. Accordingly, I am not in a position at this stage to indicate the final outturn.