The following table shows how much the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, and excluding its agencies and NDPBs has spent on (a) car hire, (b) air travel (c) hotels and (d) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.
All spending on official entertainment is made in accordance with HM Treasury’s “Managing Public Money”.
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Car Hire1 Ministers 0 10 8 7 3 NIO Staff 70 63 42 67 70 Air Travel2 Ministers 573 562 637 535 751 NIO Staff 1,047 1,073 1,107 977 750 Hotels3 Ministers 4— 4— 4— 2 6 NIO Staff 4— 4— 4— 201 199 Restaurant meals5 Ministers 6— 6— 6— 6— 6— NIO Staff 6— 6— 6— 6— 6— 1 There may also be car hire costs within other expenditure codes including general travel. To extract these costs, and verify that they are related to car hire, would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £750. 2 Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively. 3 Up until 2006-07, hotel expenditure was included within night subsistence costs. To extract only hotel costs in these years would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £750. 4 Figures not available prior to 2007-08. 5 Expenditure on restaurant meals is included within subsistence or hospitality expenditure. To extract only restaurant meal costs would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £750. 6 Figures not available.