My Department comprises two separate votes, Vote 28 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Vote 27 International Co-operation. The total amount spent per annum in 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014 on staff subsistence payments and staff taxi payments is as follows;
Year
|
Subsistence
|
Taxi fares Reimbursed
|
Total
|
2011
|
754,865
|
151,755
|
906,620
|
2012
|
793,643
|
166,775
|
960,418
|
2013
|
829,662
|
182,027
|
1,011,689
|
(To May )2014
|
249,901
|
63,877
|
313,778
|
TOTAL
|
2,628,071
|
564,436
|
3,192,505
|
Given the nature of my Department’s responsibilities officers are obliged to undertake a significant amount of official travel. Travel and meetings often take place out of hours leading to subsistence and taxi requirements. The central aim of the Departmental travel policy is to minimise official travel costs and to achieve value for money for expenditure necessarily incurred, consistent with the effective discharge of official duties. The Department complies with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circulars in relation to subsistence payments, including reimbursement of taxi costs. The Department is subject to audit by both the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Department’s Internal Audit function.