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Ministers must follow AMs' example on expenses

Wednesday, July 29 2009

A £20 note

Assembly Government ministers have been urged to follow the same sort of openness on expenses now expected of Assembly Members.

The claim was made as it emerged ministers spent almost £110,000 on overseas trips between May 2007 and June 2009. The information was only made public following a request from Shadow Finance Minister Nick Ramsay AM.

But ministers did not provide all the information asked for despite a request for a detailed breakdown. While Assembly Members' claims are automatically made public and will be available monthly from the autumn details of ministers' expenses can only be obtained on request.

Last month Counsel General Carwyn Jones said the public had to submit a Freedom of Information Act request if they wanted details of ministerial expenditure, adding that the information is "normally" made available.

Nick Ramsay AM said: "Labour and Plaid Cymru ministers seem more reluctant to abide by the same sort of openness rightly expected of ordinary AMs. People should not have to ask the Assembly Government for information about things like ministerial trips abroad. It should be automatically available.

And he added, "I applaud the Assembly as an institution for taking the lead in transparency. The Assembly Government needs to follow suit."

Nick Ramsay

Nick is Shadow Minister for Finance in the Welsh Assembly. He was elected as AM for Monmouth in May 2007.

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