Travel Costs actually lower
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:50 pm by David FarrarThe Treasury has apologised for an error that embarrassed the Government and led Labour leader Phil Goff to accuse it of hypocrisy.
Ministerial travel costs released last week showed that in the first three months of this year National ministers spent $739,000, more than double the $336,000 Labour ministers spent in the same period in 2008.
That wasn’t only wrong, it actually reversed the true situation.
The Treasury had been right with the $739,000 figure for National ministers, but it said today Labour ministers spent $783,000.
So in fact less money was spent on travel in the first three months of a new Government than in the same period in the last year of the former Government.
Treasury’s deputy secretary for the state sector performance group, Peter Mersi, said he deeply regretted the error and apologised for it.
“Treasury strives to produce accurate and timely information,” he said.
“We didn’t meet our own high standards this time and I’m looking into how that happened, to ensure that such errors are unlikely to happen again.”
Treasury’s explanation of how the error occurred was: “The table also included a `total’ line which has been removed. The line was incorrect as the columns in this table cannot be accurately added because this would double count certain expenses. Because of the way these funds are appropriated, approximately 85 percent to 90 percent of VIP transport is funded from ministers’ internal and external travel which is included as a separate line. Therefore adding these figures would result in double counting.”
What I’m confused about is why Treasury is even involved in answering the question. The costs of travel are covered by Ministerial Services so I would have thought DIA would be the authoritative source of costs for Ministerial overseas travel?
Tags: MPs expenses, Treasury
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:57 pm
the twitiots are back, the twitiots are back.
Vote:July 3rd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Can’t this ranting and ignorant little school boy idiot MNIJ be banned??
Vote:July 3rd, 2009 at 3:24 pm
the Treasury are not covering themselves in glory
When you have a look at their pronoucements over the past several yearsthey have got it horribly wrong on a number of occassions
Now to be fair to them that was predicting the future but in the this case it was historical data.
Why the hell someone didnt twig the numbers looked wrong is beyond me
Hell the first thing I used to teach the young accountants that came to me the reasonableness test.,
Does the result look reasonable and within the boundarys of what you expected.
If not check and then check again.
Of course Treasury have also opened up another possibility but then I couldnt possible comment on that
Vote:July 3rd, 2009 at 3:40 pm
the institutional leaches should all have to travel on kiwi rail.
Vote:July 3rd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
gd – You wouldn’t possibly be intimating that someone deliberately leaked the misinformation, knowing Philin Gaff would jump at the chance to attack National, letting him take the bait, then releasing the “new” information that makes Gaff look like the arse he is? Surely not?
No. no – my mind is playing mischievous tricks, it must be paranoia…….
Vote:If that were so it would be only fair assume that it was a Labour hack behind the release of said info as yet more ammo for the inevitable coup. Certainly no one in National would be behind it, Philin is worth too many percentage points for National in the polls to want him gone
July 3rd, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Redbaiter (6653) 4 1 Says:
July 3rd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Can’t this ranting and ignorant little school boy idiot MNIJ be banned??
At the risk of being pinged for OT, i will point out to rebastareaud that when i arrived in this thread it had twitter all over it. DPF now seems to have twitter under control.
And I find it quite appropriate the most right of the righ whingers here always, always, asks for the banning of ideas he doesn’t like. So typical of the right.
Vote:July 3rd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
“And I find it quite appropriate the most right of the righ whingers here always, always, asks for the banning of ideas he doesn’t like.”
You have no ideas, merely an obsession with turning very post Mr. Farrar makes into a discussion that in terms of political perceptions, hardly rises above primary school level.
Vote:July 3rd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Has the dribbling left loving media asked Philin for comment? or do they have no shame. Wasn’t the Dear One pushing for her own private broomstick at one stage, $700,000 wouldn’t have paid for the fuel. As for, “We didn’t meet our own high standards this time”, oh fucking pleaseeeeee. If I tell the IRD I didn’t add the table with the total line they say no problem we will just add 10% so you get it right next time. This mistake by treasury may make National look good but as a tax paying peasant it doesn’t fill me with confidence.
Vote:July 3rd, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Brace yourself Side Show Bob, its about 2 minutes to news time and I have no doubt that Pumpkin Garner is getting ready to lead with this story… expect 11-13 minutes as it will surely be the story of the day. (Not that I am ever likely to watch 3 News again)
Much the same at TVNZ, this is all very embarrassing for Goof so it will dominate the airwaves tonight… won’t it?
Vote:July 3rd, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Labour are making National look really good, I wonder if these constant dim wit slams from Labour that turn around and backfire are starting to make there strong hold supporters begin to think the Labour party are like chickens running around with their heads cut off…
Vote:July 3rd, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Why Treasury even went down this path escapes me unless it was part of a cunning plan by some Labour apparatchik that went horribly wrong. Comparisons need to be apples with apples stuff not apples with pears.
The only meaingful comparision would be comparing the first three months of when Labour took power with the corresponding period for National adjusted for inflation and price changes.
You would expect travel costs to be high as new Ministers make contacts with their overseas counterparts but what you have in these (2008) figures is Labour exposed as a bunch of hasbeens on their way out sucking the teat for all they can get.
Sums up the socialist psyche to a T.
Vote:July 4th, 2009 at 6:44 am
The do not seem to ask the basic question about figures – “does this make sense”. Is is sensible for the Labour Government spending nearly HALF what National did meanwhile going on a travel BINGE the rest of the year. Only one who is politically motivated could have produced these figures and gave Goff a cheap shot. Or was it deliberate. My mind is open on that one.
Vote: