THE States spending watchdog will be “asking questions” after it was revealed the Chief Minister and two officials flew business class to a conference in Rwanda – at a total cost of nearly £14,000 for the trip.
Deputy Lyndsay Feltham, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee, has said that her panel, which determines whether public funds have been used efficiently, effectively, and economically, would be looking at “whether the policies around ministerial travel have been adhered to” and “what the outcomes of that trip were”.
She continued: “The public have every right to ask whether that trip met its intended purpose and, more importantly: what did Jersey gain from it?”
The figures were revealed in a response to a written States question from Deputy Sam Mézec, who requested a breakdown of the full attendance costs for the ‘Women Deliver’ conference in July.
The costs of business-class flights for Chief Minister Kristina Moore and two officials for the 6,500-mile trip to the Rwandan capital, Kigali, were £11,679.58, while £2,097.46 was spent on accommodation.
Further travel expenses brought the total to £13,814.90.
The Chief Minister was criticised at the time for missing the final States sitting before the summer break, for which she later apologised.
Questions about the Rwanda trip are being asked at a time when the government is yet to publish details of ministerial travel and spending for the 12 months to the end of June 2023, despite repeated requests from the JEP.
The report was due to be published in March this year, before being delayed to July and then September.
Earlier this month, the Cabinet Office said it would be finalised “next week”.
Deputy Feltham has also said that her panel had requested the reports. She said it was “troubling that they are unable to publish the correct information on time”.
Speaking to the JEP yesterday, Deputy Moore said: “We as a Council of Ministers are ambitious, outward-looking, and long-term thinking, and it’s important to go and engage with other heads of government from around the world, to listen to their stories, to build relations and to be that ambitious, outward-looking Island that we are.”
She continued: “I found it a very useful opportunity to engage with other heads of government at that level, and it was important that I was there and I was grateful for the invitation.”
Discussing the cost of her flights and accommodation, she said: “People always work hard to find the best possible deals. In fact, the travel was quite challenging. It was an overnight flight. I found myself in Cairo having to negotiate to get myself onto the next flight because my inbound was delayed.
“We work full days before and after our travel. It’s not all glitz and glamour, I can assure you,” she said.
Deputy Feltham said: “It’s extremely important that any travel follows policy. There needs to be a clear case for it. We need to be able to talk about the outcomes of it.
“This case is not something that has cropped up within PAC as yet, but as we review our annual accounts, if we see any large pieces of expenditure, we’ll ask questions about whether the policies are being adhered to because those are there to ensure that Islanders receive good value for money.”
She added: “It is also usual that States Members wouldn’t travel business class.
“We need to look at the decision-making process that led to the call that that was deemed a good spend of taxpayers’ money.”
