How ministers spent £185k on trips away Most costly journeys...
Political Editor WELSH Government ministers have spent more than £185,000 on trips abroad in the past financial year – including almost £20,000 attending a climate change summit in San Francisco.
Details of any trip costing more than £500 have to be made public via the Ministerial Code, but the only details listed are the minister’s name, date of the trip, destination, a brief summary, method of travel and total cost.
The number of accompanying staff also has to be listed.
There is no breakdown of how the costs were incurred.
The most expensive trip taken so far in 2018-19 was by then-First Minister Carwyn Jones.
The £36,000 trip to Washington, USA, was on May 31.
During the trip Mr Jones met businesses, representatives of the US/UK Business Council of the US Chamber of Commerce and officials at the British Embassy to discuss the potential impact of the tariffs on the steel industry in Wales.
Mr Jones also held a reception at the British Embassy with the WRU ahead of the international game between Wales and South Africa.
He was joined by three members of staff.
Education Minister Kirsty Williams’ trip to Los Angeles and New York in September 2018 cost £32,123.12. While there, she met representatives from leading US universities and international education organisations.
Ms Williams tweeted she is making another trip to America this week.
After Mark Drakeford became First Minister on December 13, 2018, there was a cabinet reshuffle and the current list includes former Government ministers as well as those appointed by Mr Drakeford.
Since becoming International Affairs Minister, Eluned Morgan has also taken a trip to the USA.
Her trip to New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia cost £17,204.48. At the time, her trip was described as a way to boost trade and raise Wales’ profile.
Her trip included a St David’s Day reception on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. She also gave a speech at the World Bank – becoming the first Welsh Government minister to do so.
The next most costly trips were by Environment Minister Lesley Griffiths. ■■Carwyn Jones visited America with three staff, at a cost of £36,035.
■■Kirsty Williams visited Los Angeles and New York with three staff, spending £32,123.12. ■■Lesley Griffiths visited Auckland and Wellington with two staff for a trip to “build on relationship that has been established between the NZ and Welsh Government treasury departments” at a total cost £19,428. On it, she met dairy, lamb and beef businesses, farmers and industry organisations.
■■Ms Griffiths also visited
San Francisco for the Global Conference on Climate Change, with three staff, costing a total of £18,606.
■■Eluned Morgan visited New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia on a trade trip, costing a total of £17,204.48. ■■Kirsty Williams travelled to New York, New Haven and Boston in June 2018, at a total cost of £116,28.05.
■■Ms Williams also visited Hanoi with three staff in October 2018 One was a £19,428 trip to Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand and the other a £18,606 trip to San Francisco for a climate change conference.
Other trips made between November 2018 and July 2019, but which cost less than £500, have also been published after a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
They are mainly domestic flights, with the minister making the most being Jeremy Miles, in his Counsel General role.
The trips include to Edinburgh, Anglesey, Belfast and Strasbourg.
There was also a disclosure under the ministerial code that Ken Skates was gifted a train set from Keolis worth £400.
The Welsh Government was asked to explain the length of each trip and justify the expense.
A Welsh Government spokesman at a cost of £10,853.84. On the trip she gave a keynote speech at the United Kingdom-Vietnam Higher Education forum and signed an agreement between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Welsh Government.
■■Huw Irranca-Davies’ two-day trip to Helsinki cost £5,386.66. He visited a number of different projects promoting alternative approaches to families, the early years and social care.
■■ Ken Skates visited the Gold Coast, Australia, during the Commonwealth Games, where he went to the opening ceremony, and went to business events “aimed at maximising trading opportunities between Commonwealth countries and the Gold Coast”. He also visited Sydney and attended a business event with the Australian British Chamber of Commerce and Qatar Airways. The total cost was £4,788.
■■Counsel General Jeremy Miles visited Strasbourg with two staff at a cost of £4,584.54 said: “Now, more than ever, Wales needs to create strong international links.
“Businesses and governments want to meet Welsh Government ministers face to face and overseas trips are an effective way to build productive and long-lasting relationships for Wales.
“The Welsh Government is developing its first international strategy and we are proactively building strong links around the world to bring long-term benefits to the Welsh economy.
“Details about ministers’ overseas travel, including costs, are routinely published.”
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