Joint First Ministers neither Know nor Care how much Public Money spent on their Foreign Travel
21 September 2012
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:-
"One of the early Questions I tabled when I became an MLA (tabled 23rd May 2011) was to establish how much public money OFMDFM had spent in the 2007-11 mandate on foreign travel and subsistence. Now, a year later - a commentary in itself on the dysfunctionalism of OFMDFM - they have decreed that the information requested is not held on the departmental accounting system! Though by now case hardened to OFMDFM's cavalier attitude to reasonable enquiry, I am astounded by this answer.
Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the travel and subsistence costs incurred by their Department on trips outside Northern Ireland in each year of the 2007-11 mandate, broken down by the costs incurred by (i) the First Minister; (ii) the deputy First Minister; (iii) special advisers; and (iv) support staff.
Answer:
Information is not held on the departmental accounting system at the level of detail requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
"It is beyond belief that with its army of staff - more than the White House - OFMDFM cannot tell the public how much of their money they've spent on foreign trips and how it is broken down.
"The answer supplied would do the Chinese politboro proud.
"The contempt it shows to us the taxpayer is staggering. The public are entitled to know these figures, so why has OFMDFM contrived to hide them from us?"
