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TÁNAISTE Mary Coughlan will be left in charge of Ireland next week when Brian Cowen visits New York and Washington for his first St Patrick's Day trips abroad as taoiseach.
Cowen has announced only 17 ministers will take to the sky this year, compared to 33 last year, as the government attempts to save money in the current crisis.
Last year, the trips cost €532,621 but the government hopes to slash that bill in half this year as a smaller entourage go on the trips.
Cowen will meet new US president Barack Obama for the traditional White House celebrations on St Patrick's Day.
The Minister for Finance will be making the short trip to London while the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamon O Cuiv will be making the longest trip to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Coughlan and the Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern, the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, defence minister Willie O'Dea, environment minister, John Gormley and the education minister Batt O'Keeffe will all stay at home to work on preparations for emergency budget next week.
Only five junior ministers will be travelling abroad this year, compared to 14 in 2008 and the junior minister for science and technology, Jimmy Devins will be travelling the furthest distance out of the group of junior ministers as he is heading to Chicago.
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An open letter to Mr Jimmy Devins TD
Minister Devins. I believe you are going over to Chicago for St Patrick's Day to celebrate with some of our Irish-American cousins 'the day that's in it" as they say. I hope you have the best of 'craic', have a great time and enjoy the day. I understand that you are going to use this opportunity to promote Ireland in every way you can .I've heard that you are going to visit Chicago Mercantile Exchange and to meet with their officials. That sounds great. No better man. I applaud you for this and hope you are very successful indeed.
There are a few things though that I would like you to do on your return though if it's not too much to ask. I would like you 'Junior Minister for Science and Innovation'. to provide for us -your constituents a summary of what you had hoped to achieve on this trip before you went away and what you actually achieved whilst you were in Chicago that will be of benefit to us both in your constituency and Ireland in general. I will look forward to reading these accounts (on this paper) whenever you get a chance.
I would also like to know how many of you traveled, where you all stayed, and how much all of this cost and what (if any) cost cutting exercises were put in place to ensure that this was organized in as thrifty a way as possible.
I think we are all entitled to this information as after all, we are paying for it are we not?
Thank you Minister,
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Eamonn, SLIGO.