Chief Minister's trip to Rwanda cost almost £14,000

Tuesday 17 October 2023

The Chief Minister’s trip to a three-day conference in Rwanda earlier this year cost nearly £14,000, it has been revealed – as islanders continue to await full details of ministerial travel and spending.

The full details of ministerial travel and spending for the 12 months to the end of June 2023 have been continuously delayed, but were due to be finalised earlier this month.

The recent Rwanda figures were revealed in response to Deputy Sam Mezec's request for a breakdown of the full costs of attendance at the three-day 'Women Deliver' conference in July for herself and the Government of Jersey's delegation.

The Chief Minister was criticised at the time for missing the final States sitting before the summer break, for which she later apologised.

The answer to Deputy Mezec's question revealed that the total cost of flights for the Chief Minister and two officials for the 6,500-mile trip to the Rwandan capital of Kigali was £11,679.58, and the cost of accommodation was £2,097.46.

Further travel costs in Rwanda came to £37.86, as "much of the travel in Rwanda was pre-arranged for delegates as part of their attendance at the conference".

Delighted to meet @Malala at the @WomenDeliver opening ceremony. An inspirational leader championing access to education for girls. pic.twitter.com/YkdZGn9J1a

— Chief Minister of Jersey (@ChiefMinJSY) July 18, 2023

At the time, Deputy Moore released a statement saying that the "focused visit" to Rwanda "provided an unmissable opportunity to progress key aspects of our bilateral relationship".

She continued: "With five separate meetings with Rwandan Cabinet representatives alone, my time in Kigali has achieved a great deal towards our mutual objectives.

"I am delighted that the Rwandan Government has confirmed its wish to enhance our treaty relationship, particularly in respect of a new Bilateral Investment Treaty, which will facilitate increased investment and economic growth in both our jurisdictions."

Pictured: Deputy Moore said that the "focused visit" to Rwanda "provided an unmissable opportunity to progress key aspects of our bilateral relationship".

These latest figures come after several months of overseas trips for States Members, including the Chief Minister's trips to the Conservative and Labour Party conferences earlier this month.

Deputies Carolyn Labey, Rob Ward and Helen Miles also travelled to Ghana several weeks ago for the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference which covered topics including climate change, gender parity and human rights.

Express have spent several months requesting access to the report on ministerial travel and spending.

This was originally due to be released in March, however, officials said they would instead be released in May and June as resources had to be diverted to deal with the problems caused by the implementation of the government's new IT system.

Pictured: The delay was blamed on resources having to be diverted to deal with the problems caused by the implementation of the government's new IT system.

Express was then told that islanders would have to wait until the end of July to discover details about ministerial travel and expenses from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 – and when that deadline passed, officials said "it is hoped [the publication] will take place in September".

Earlier this month, the Cabinet Office provided a statement which said: "The report on ministerial travel for the 12 months to end June 2023 will be finalised next week."