Private jet travel absorbed the lion’s share of Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s overseas travel between January 2007 and March 31, 2009, according to a written answer given by Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira.

Over $5.3 million was spent on overseas trips for Manning in this period.

The Prime Minister went on 32 overseas trips and 18 of them were done via the leasing of private jets.

A total of approximately $4.1 million was spent for the leasing of the private aircraft, while $1.2 million was spent on trips which were made by commercial airlines.

The most expensive trip was that which involved discussions with several Caribbean Community countries on the issue of political integration between Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines and the achievement of the single economy, which was done in August 2008.

The cost of leasing a private aircraft for the Prime Minister and the delegation of six was $792,593.24. Manning held discussions with the governments of Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and Suriname.

The second most expensive trip was Manning’s visit to several Latin America nations in preparation for the Fifth Summit of the Americas. A private jet was leased at a cost of $754,859.57 to transport the Prime Minister and the delegation of seven. Manning visited Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, Mexico and Nicaragua.

The third most costly trip was incurred when Manning and a delegation of seven went to participate in the 19th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in Bahamas. Some $251,739 was incurred for the leasing of a private jet.

Some $246,480 was also spent in the leasing of a private jet for the Prime Minister and a delegation of seven to visit and participate in the Fifth Summit of Heads of State and Government of Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union (LAC-EU). And $243,337.50 was expended to lease a private jet for the Prime Minister and a delegation of five to visit Brazil to hold bilateral discussions with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva.

The most expensive trip, via commercial airline, was the visit to Ethiopia, Tanzania and Jamaica, which cost $201,638.55; while the cheapest trip was that to St Vincent and the Grenadines, via commercial airline, to participate in the 18th Inter-sessional meeting of the conference of Caricom Heads, which cost $8,667.50.

With respect to other ministers, some relatively costly trips during the same period included:

- Lenny Saith to Qatar ($128,000), India ($129,000), Singapore $178,000), Dubai ($121,000)

- Conrad Enill to Uganda ($173,000), London ($165,000) and Spain ($135,000)

- Tina Gronlund-Nunez to Nairobi ($118,000)

- Alicia Hospedales to New Zealand ($112,000)

- Joseph Ross to Germany ($115,000) and Malaysia ($102,000)

- Kenneth Valley to India and Korea ($175,000); and

- Gary Hunt to Sri Lanka ($106,000).