New figures sneaked out by the Treasury today reveal that Gordon Brown’s staff have spent nearly half a million pounds on Eurostar trips in one year. The £463,455 bill for 2,750 tickets means return trips are costing the taxpayer around £337. Return tickets in standard class cost as little as £30.The Treasury took five months to answer the question, and slipped it out this morning whilst attention is focused on the local elections.
On Vox Politix last night Labour commentator Scarlett McGwire reckoned that the age of spin was over and Gordon Brown wouldn't indulge in it. Yeah, right!
30 comments:
That's like the train trip you reported on earlier - if they had any sense they could book in advance. But why bother when it's not the Treasury who pays?
Yes, I nearly choked when Scarlett said that. For as long as I can remember, Charlie Whelan has been spinning like a broken record for Brown. In fact the prospect of Whelan’s imminent re-entrance into the public stream of consciousness is enough to make anyone reach for the revolver. You let them off too lightly Iain!
You really shouldn't be surprised. Broon has reduced HM Treasury from a respected Department of State to his private public affairs team.
2,750 tickets? That's 52 trips per week!
I don't think you can get return tickets for £30 though Iain, that's the price of one leg or a return, in other word's it's £60 a ticket.
who said he doesn't like europe?
For that many tickets I'd have thought Eurostar would be offering you tunnel miles or something like that.
The other unanswered question about this is how the tickets were booked.
Were bookings made directly with Eurostar or via one of Tonies Cronies with an interest in a travel agency?
But can you blame them [the Treasury]. If someone gave you about 30/40% of their income with the opinion of "do what you want with it, We dont seem to mind" Why should it matter if they piss it up the wall. Only money isnt?
Corrupt corrupt corrupt
Did I already post this? Or similar?
Why have you doubled the cost Iain? These will be mostly return tickets at around £170 average will they not? Can you or can you not imagine reasons why Ministers and Treasury Officials might want or need flexible tickets and not "away day" offers on tuesday afternoons, subject to availability and not subject to adaptability?
Doubling the average fare is cheap and you should change that and own up.
Is some statistician going to publish here the Tory treasury travel bills of 10 years ago and work out a comparison taking out inflation and above inflation increases? Otherwise it's a a bit hard to judge whether this is profligacy. This is denouncement by gossip and anecdote. When I drop in at the 18th best political blog in England I expect facts and figures not blagging.
Science, you are clearly of limited intelligence. The figures were from a parliamentary answer. Can you not read?
Can't Understand why HMG does not employ a Skinflint like me to buy their Travel Tickets for them. I reckon I could do it at LEAST 75% below what they pay and probably more, including my commission.
I would even throw in a free vetting system to suss out those who abuse the system, such as Blunkett and Prescott issuing travel warrants for their Mistresses at public expense.
These tickets will have been booked via a travel agent. Carlson Wagonlit if I'm not mistaken.
And although I deplore both the current government and their profligacy with taxpayer's money, I have to agree with Chris Paul that sometimes Civil Service officials might need to travel at the last minute, or need open tickets as opposed to the cheaper ones with various restrictions.
By the way, most people in the various government departments I've worked in are very consciensious about booking well in advance and getting the best possible deal they can. It is also very unusual for anyone outside the Senior Civil Service to be allowed to go first class.
Was most of it Gordon visiting his friend Peter somewhere in Belgium? Maybe Lord Browne came along for the ride.
There are a limited number of cheap tickets if you book weeks in advance. It's no surprise that in most cases that's impossible.
But what is surprising is the sheer number of trips! It must mean that about 5% of Treasury staff using Eurostar every week (based on headcount of 1070 for 2006)!
What are they doing over there that couldn't be done via email, phone, conference call etc?
Ah, they're doing lunch.
Sir,
One wonders what they are travelling for? They are not selling anything. These are clerks. Surely they should be at their desks working. They don't need to travel to the continent to drink tea with foreign clerks. Our taxes, Sir, are for widows and orphans not for clerks' junkets.
John Bull, sir, with respect, you're wrong. Our taxes for the past ten years have been for the maintenance of Gordon and his entourage in the manner they have every intention of continuing to be accustomed to.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/6613143.stm
Majority want early election - poll
Almost three quarters of people interviewed for a BBC Newsnight Opinion Poll think that there should be a general election soon after Tony Blair steps down.
Iain,
Can you please tell me where I can get a £30 Eurostar ticket.
Get real
Iain, why are you so sarky to your dear readers? There is no link to a parliamentary question in your post. And there appear to be two errors at least pointed out by readers:
1. Return fare is at least £60 and this for a very restricted ticket, not £30, and hardly likely to be suitable for most business travel;
2. Your arithmetic is way wrong and the average fare per return trip is about £170 not £340.
If it is the Treasury arithmetic that's wrong you'd have covered yourself with a link.
If not correction and apology needed - especially after your abuse of commentators.
I too would be interested to have comparator figures under the last Tory regimes corrected for inflation and price changes.
Error-ridden anecdotes are clearly not up to the standards of evidence we expect and deserve here.
I'd reckon as a some time supplicant for EU funds for various very useful and VFM purposes that these Treasury Officials will very often be involved in negotiations, audits, more negotiations, more audits etc, as well as business meetings with other govts and the like.
If they spend £1 million on travel and save £10 million claw back or gain £10 million on currency changes or whatever, whatever, whatever then it's good VFM. If they have to do it as a condition of funding it's unavoidable.
And there is some possibility that some of the money comes back from the EU funds they're managing - assuming my guess is right that this is a large part of the workload.
Mr Paul, those are not EU funds, those are MY MONIES, forcibly taken from me to bolster egos and buy votes by creating jobs that would not exist were it not for flaming idiots like Blair and Brown and Patten and Heath and Britten and every other power-mad egotistical maniac in Westminster and Brussels!
judith said...May 02, 2007 9:47 PM
And why do so many people, at so much cost, from the treasury need to travel to europe. Surely, the crux of their job is here (in the UK)and not in the EU!
Whatever Judith. I'm speculating about the purpose of the trips, though knowing that could be an irresistable wind up to some Dale customers.
It looks to me that the two arithmetic errors in opposite directions quadruple the difference in fares and make a non-story into something. Even if only one of them - the cost of a budget return - is wrong it has doubled the difference.
I've blogged that HERE.
Did anyone ask if there are still civil servants flying to Brussels or Paris?
Disgusting abuse of public money.
Auntie Flo'
Yes! Let's leave Europe altogether, and never bother going there again! Dogwhistletastic idea, Iain.
Many departments have been forced to outsource their travel & accommodation arrangements (training, meetings etc).
Often far from cheapest option is selected. Why ?.
Examples locally include 4 day course in London - 4 day returns provided @ £23ish. Another bod bought own weekly season for £74.
Most courses last 5 days, so overpayment is greater percentage.
Private efficiency over public waste, my arse!.
So is a "ticket" a return or a single. Because that has a big impact on the story here. Do you know, Iain?
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