diff --git a/Code/Mantid/Framework/Kernel/test/ConfigServiceTest.h b/Code/Mantid/Framework/Kernel/test/ConfigServiceTest.h
index 541e926c14c15a739b597ecad4e534c65820eb0b..7ecea0ac03a265c206105d899a080402d4af240c 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/Framework/Kernel/test/ConfigServiceTest.h
+++ b/Code/Mantid/Framework/Kernel/test/ConfigServiceTest.h
@@ -206,9 +206,6 @@ public:
     auto directories = ConfigService::Instance().getInstrumentDirectories();
 	TS_ASSERT_LESS_THAN(1,directories.size());
 	//the first entry should be the AppDataDir + instrument
-	std::cout<<std::endl<<directories[0]<<std::endl;
-	std::cout<<std::endl<<ConfigService::Instance().getAppDataDir()<<std::endl;
-	std::cout<<std::endl<<directories[0].find("instruxxment")<<std::endl;
 	TSM_ASSERT_LESS_THAN("Could not find the appData directory in getInstrumentDirectories()[0]",directories[0].find(ConfigService::Instance().getAppDataDir()),directories[0].size());
 	TSM_ASSERT_LESS_THAN("Could not find the 'instrument' directory in getInstrumentDirectories()[0]",directories[0].find("instrument"),directories[0].size());
 
diff --git a/Code/Mantid/Framework/PythonInterface/mantid/kernel/src/Exports/ConfigService.cpp b/Code/Mantid/Framework/PythonInterface/mantid/kernel/src/Exports/ConfigService.cpp
index 7377bf3e03662e2c7a59c985ed950cf8a6806901..762f446435d56a3f2bad87ec96e4bccaf5a7481d 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/Framework/PythonInterface/mantid/kernel/src/Exports/ConfigService.cpp
+++ b/Code/Mantid/Framework/PythonInterface/mantid/kernel/src/Exports/ConfigService.cpp
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ void export_ConfigService()
     .def("getInstrumentDirectory", &ConfigServiceImpl::getInstrumentDirectory,
          "Returns the directory used for the instrument definitions")
 
+	.def("getInstrumentDirectories", &ConfigServiceImpl::getInstrumentDirectories, return_value_policy<reference_existing_object>(), 
+         "Returns the list of directories searched for the instrument definitions")
+
     .def("getFacilityNames", &ConfigServiceImpl::getFacilityNames, "Returns the default facility")
 
     .def("getFacilities", &ConfigServiceImpl::getFacilities, "Returns the default facility")