David Burt, the Premier, has yet to reveal the cost of his December trip to the Middle East, despite earlier government assurances that the information would be disclosed by the end of last year.

Mr Burt, who is also the Minister of Finance, flew to the United Arab Emirates at the end of November to attend two meetings — the Abu Dhabi Finance Week and the COP28 energy and industry forum in Dubai.

Walter Roban, the Deputy Premier, also attended COP28. His travel expenses, which came to $18,274, were posted on the Government’s travel calendar webpage shortly after his return to the island in mid-December.

But details of Mr Burt’s trip to the UAE have yet to be filed.

When asked by The Royal Gazette at that time why Mr Burt had not disclosed the cost of his trip and two other overseas excursions, a government spokesperson said: “The missing items from the Ministry of Finance for the Premier are scheduled to be completed by the end of next week.

“Any other ministerial travel that has not been posted for this year should be uploaded by the end of the year and we welcome the transparency and questions that may come from the media and members of the public.”

Mr Burt has declared his expenses for two other overseas trips he took in the latter half of last year.

The Premier flew to Washington to attend “a series of high-level meetings and engagements” between September 21 and 25.

He left the island on the day that it was announced that the Government’s internet systems had been shut down by a cyberattack.

Mr Burt cut short that trip — which cost taxpayers $3,811.58 — as a result of the cyber crisis.

Mr Burt also travelled to London in November to attend the annual meeting of the Joint Ministerial Council — a forum in which heads of Britain’s 14 Overseas Territories meet Whitehall officials to discuss issues relating to their relationship with London. That trip cost $8,656.50.

According to the government travel website, one other minister has taken two trips since mid-December.

Owen Darrell, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, spent one night in New York on December 14 to attend the Bermuda Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday Window event.

According to the Government’s website, the trip, which cost $914.65, “affords the minister to engage in soft diplomacy in this area”.

“This includes promoting authentic cultural interactions, upgrading visitor amenities, and providing top-notch customer service to leave a lasting and positive impression on our guests, the website added.

Mr Darrell also travelled to Jamaica this month to attend an anti-doping forum, running up a bill of $848.75.

The meeting, held between January 15 and 17, “focused on fostering collaboration among public authorities”.

“The key areas of discussion included the development of educational anti-doping activities, updating the World Anti-Doping Code, ensuring the operational independence of national anti-doping organisations, and enhancing government involvement in the fight against doping,” according to the government website.

The Government did not respond to questions from The Royal Gazette about the lack of disclosure about the cost of the Premier’s Middle East trip by press time.