Cook Islands Members of Parliament have nearly spent their annual travel and allowances (local and overseas) budget of $250,000 just three months into the 2023/24 financial year, due to a series of overseas trips.

The MPs have raked up $246,347.03 in travel, accommodation, and allowances for the first quarter of the 2023/24 financial year from July 1 to September 30, 2023.

The figures were released by Parliament on its website this week after Cook Islands News made an Official Information Act (OIA) request on September 27, 2023, seeking the travel costs of MPs. The publication asked that each MPs travel costs, including allowances, accommodation, dates, duration, and reason for travel in the new financial year, from July 1, 2023, to September 30, be provided.

However, the newspaper was not provided with the information it had requested under the OIA and was not told that it would be published on the Parliament website.

Clerk of Parliament Tangata Vainerere last week told the newspaper that his team was close to finalising the figures generated in response to the OIA request and asked the publication to pay $977.34 for the information.

Parliament had earlier quoted a figure of $1047.15, saying that the publication would be required to pay each staff member their standard rate per hour, and a deposit of 25 per cent ($261.78) of the total cost before they started working on getting the figures.

Cook Islands News had disputed the bill, saying that the request was in the public interest, and filed a complaint with the Ombudsman, Niki Rattle, who had earlier stated that the request from Parliament was unreasonable.

The newspaper is seeking further clarification on Parliament’s release of the information it had requested under the OIA on its website and the request to pay for that information.

The MP Travel and Allowances expenses are administered by Parliamentary Services.

According to Parliament, Prime Minister Mark Brown, who is also the chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, has the highest travel-related expenses at $66,702.83, followed by Opposition Democratic Party leader Tina Browne ($53,693.15), Minister for Justice Vaine Mokoroa ($36,867.13), and Associate Minister Tingika Elikana ($24,000.33).

With three quarters to go and several international meetings to attend, Cook Islands News on Wednesday asked PM Brown how the government is planning to cover the cost for the upcoming travels, including the UN Climate Change Conference COP28, starting late next month in Dubai. The newspaper also asked whether the MPs’ travel budget will be topped up and by how much, and whether the spending so far is justified, especially considering that it has almost used up the annual budgeted amount in just the first quarter.

A spokesperson for PM Brown on Thursday said: “This came in very late last night (as you know). You might also be aware that the PM is going to be tied up for most of today (Thursday), I think the chances of getting a response to you in time for print this evening could be slim.”