THE Government informed the Senate yesterday that Prime Minister Andrew Holness made 10 overseas trips between May and December last year, costing taxpayers just under US$99,000 or approximately J$12.4 million.

The answers were provided by Minister of Education, Youth and Information Senator Ruel Reid, in response to questions tabled in the Senate last March by Opposition Senator Lambert Brown.The information provided by Senator Reid revealed that the costs, which were listed in US dollars, calculated on the basis of a Jamaican exchange rate of J$125 to US$1, added up to approximately J$12.375 million.The cost per trip ranged from the US$23,744 cost of attending the 22nd session of the United Nations’ Conference of Parties to the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change 2016 in Morocco, to the US$365 paid to attend and participate in the May rally to pay tribute to former Cuban Leader Fidel Castro in Havana, on which the PM was accompanied only by a security officer.The next highest was the US$21,686.25 cents for a six-day trip to the United States, September 19-24, to participate in the 71st Session of the UN’s General Assembly, and next lowest was the US$1,316 paid for the prime minister’s trip to Florida to meet with Caribbean cruise ship owners.On each occasion the prime minister was accompanied by a single assistant, a communications officer, and a security officer.The list also included Holness’s trip to Trinidad and Tobago, November 1-3, to attend the High Level Caribbean Forum, at which he met with Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to discuss Jamaica/T&T relations, which cost approximately US$2,670.But, Senator Brown was not satisfied with those figures and demanded that Senator Reid provide additional answers.Senator Brown noted that the answers did not include a trip to the Dominican Republic, last year. However, Senator Reid explained that the trip to the Dominican Republic was part of the trip to Brazil, as the prime minister stopped off in the Central American republic on August 16, on his way back from Rio de Janiero where he had attended the 2016 Summer Olympics. He said it was not included as a separate item, as the cost was included in the US$19,149.80 stated in the answers as the cost of the Rio Olympics.However, Brown claimed that the absence of the Dominican Republic from the list raised the question of whether there were other trips which were excluded from the list.“The question, Mr President, is whether there are more countries like the Dominican Republic that have been left off” Senator Brown insisted.“Do you know how much was for the airline tickets. How much for accommodation? How much for food? And could you tell us what was the per diem per each person in the delegation?” Brown asked the minister.Senator Pearnel Charles Jr asked him why hadn’t he asked that question in the original list of questions.“Mr President, has Senator Charles taken over your role, sah? That’s how it appears to me,” Brown said.Senator Reid said that those details were not available to him, and suggested that Senator Brown table those questions and have them answered at a later date. Government Senator Matthew Samuda was shouted down by Opposition members when he reminded the Senate that former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller had spent J$53 million on overseas trips between January 2012 and 2014.