MINISTER FOR Enterprise Batt O'Keeffe has tested Fine Gael's decision to limit Dáil pairs for Ministers' overseas trips by requesting clearance for four trade missions in coming months.
Mr O'Keeffe wrote to Government Chief Whip John Curran over the weekend requesting the pairs be secured immediately for what he described as "key overseas jobs missions".
The normal practice is to seek a pair with the main Opposition party a week in advance, but Mr O'Keeffe said he was departing from that custom following Fine Gael's refusal to offer a pair to Tánaiste Mary Coughlan last week.
In the letter, he has asked that contact be made with Fine Gael "as soon as possible" for planned trips to London, North America, the Middle East and Brazil.
Fine Gael whip Paul Kehoe dismissed the letter as nothing more than Batt O'Keeffe "bouncing a ball".
Mr Kehoe said the Minister should have checked with Mr Curran before sending his letter as there had been extensive contact between the whips' offices last week.
"I met with John Curran and asked him to write to all Government Ministers to ascertain what foreign trips were taking place this session. I told him that anything to do with a trade mission will be looked at on an individual basis and if they are important enough, a pair will be granted.
"Batt O'Keeffe is trying to up the ante. He is trying to raise trouble where there is no trouble," Mr Kehoe claimed.
For his part, Mr O'Keeffe told The Irish Times: "It is important for the enterprise agencies, their existing and potential clients, the political systems in other countries and Ireland's reputation abroad that the trips be allowed to go ahead as planned."
"I hope Fine Gael will accede to the request for the pairs so that we can sell Ireland abroad and create jobs for our people at this time of severe economic challenge for the nation," he added.
The reason he had written to Mr Curran was that it was important to have certainty about his availability to travel after months of preparations for the missions. The first trip, to London, is next Thursday, October 7th.
He is due to travel to the US on October 24th, for a week-long series of meetings in Boston, Philadelphia and New York with IDA Ireland clients and potential investors.
He then plans to lead an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates between October 31st and November 5th, involving 50 Irish companies.
The final trip during the current session is another Enterprise Ireland trade mission, this time to Brazil between November 20th and 24th.
Mr O'Keeffe said he had been scheduled to answer questions in the Dáil on October 26th but that that clashed with the trip to the US. He has since switched the Dáil slot to October 13th to avoid any clash with his overseas trips.