Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to Cabinet Office Senior Officials’ Expenses, July to September 2024, published on 30 January, what specific business justification was documented for Christine Bellamy, the Government Chief Product Officer, travelling business class for a domestic flight to Manchester between 20 and 25 October which totalled £1,693; what alternative or cheaper travel options were considered; and whether this expenditure complied with internal value-for-money guidelines.

There is an error in the data - this expense relates to a premium economy flight from Manchester, UK to Ottawa, Canada to enable Christine Bellamy to represent the UK Civil Service at the AccelerateGOV conference in Canada and attend a series of engagements recommended by the British High Commission. It was not a domestic, business class flight. Premium economy tickets are permitted within policy for flights longer than 5 hours - as was the case here.

Christine Bellamy represented the UK Civil Service as an expert speaker at the AccelerateGOV conference in Ottawa, Canada and while in-country undertook a series of engagements with - and on behalf of - the British High Commission. Meetings included with senior government counterparts from the Canadian Digital Service and Shared Services Canada; with the British Consul General and with a number of Canadian academic institutions and think tanks involved in GovTech, AI and civic society.