An opposition MP has received written responses to parliamentary questions about travel expenses incurred by the minister responsible for tackling the island’s cost of living, the House of Assembly heard today.

Michael Fahy, of the One Bermuda Alliance, sought information on trips taken by Alexa Lightbourne, the Minister of Home Affairs.

He asked for the total cost of ministerial travel incurred by Ms Lightbourne, broken down by date and place of trip, as well as for names and roles of anyone who accompanied the minister, and any of their costs charged to the Government, from February 18 to September 15.

The travel calendar published on the government website showed that four trips were taken by the minister since she assumed her role in February.

Ms Lightbourne’s travel expenses for this month alone totalled about $17,360.

Her three-day trip to New York to attend the Forbes Power Women Summit cost $7,266.56.

Dates of the visit were listed as September 9 to 11.

The ministerial travel calendar said: “The Minister of Home Affairs attended the invite-only Forbes 13th Annual Power Women’s Summit in New York on September 10, 2025, a forum where global leaders and innovators convened under the theme ‘Building What’s Next’.

“The mission provided a platform to exchange bold ideas with a strong sense of responsibility, strengthen relationships across business, philanthropy and media networks, and gather practical insights to support Bermuda’s priorities; particularly the forthcoming Cost of Living Strategy and wider affordability agenda.

“Participation in the summit reinforced the Government’s commitment to inclusive leadership and women’s economic empowerment, while elevating Bermuda’s profile and generating connections that can translate into actionable partnerships and policy improvements domestically.”

The travel calendar showed that Ms Lightbourne’s air travel cost $3,059.01 and accommodation amounted to $3,698.12.

Ground transport for the trip cost $471.32 and meals totalled $38.11.

Ms Lightbourne’s trip to New York came soon after her visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the second Africa-Caricom Summit, when expenses came to $10,094.49.

The travel calendar said: “During the trip, the Minister of Home Affairs engaged with Caricom heads of government and regional bodies to deepen ties with Caricom, and to advance Bermuda’s strategic objectives.

“While in Ethiopia, the delegation also visited Shashamane, where the minister had the opportunity to engage members of the Bermudian diaspora and explored ways to diversify imports, strengthen food security and support the Government’s cost-of-living agenda.

“The host country covered hotel and transport expenses for government ministers and heads of state for the conference days.”

Air travel for that trip — which ran from September 3 to 9 — totalled $7,814, the website showed, while accommodation cost $1,214.31.

Ground transportation expenses reached $227.62, meals cost $630.22 and another $208.34 was listed for miscellaneous expenses.

Ms Lightbourne’s attendance at the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum 2025 in May, generated costs of $3,110.56.

Her participation there included a women in renewable energy luncheon, a ministerial round table and a bilateral meeting with Theresa McCarthy, the British parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Expenses for Ms Lightbourne’s attendance at the 49th Caricom Heads of Government Meeting in Jamaica were listed as $3,134.96.

The minister joined David Burt, the Premier, and Christopher Famous, a Progressive Labour Party backbencher, to take part in the conference, hosted by Andrew Holness, the Caricom chairman and Prime Minister of Jamaica.

“During her time at the conference, Minister Lightbourne engaged in both formal and informal discussions with regional ministerial colleagues and Caricom Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett,” the travel calendar entry said.

“Minister Lightbourne also travelled from Montego Bay to Kingston via St Ann’s to tour the Mulberry Valley Estate, a sustainability-focused, agro-ecotourism project aligned with Bermuda’s goals for food security and community-based development.

“She participated in meetings with regional energy sector leaders to exchange insights on renewable energy policy, energy justice and strategies to support a just transition across small island developing states.”

Expenses for the four trips reached $23,606.57.

Mr Fahy’s questions — listed in the Order of Business for the House of Assembly session today — were scheduled for written responses.

He also asked: “Will the Honourable Minister please inform this Honourable House of the total number of consultants working for the Ministry of Home Affairs and related departments and quangos, listing the names of the consultants, their roles including contract start and end dates, and professional fees incurred by the ministry relating to those consultants from February 18, 2025 to September 15, 2025?

“Will the Honourable Minister please inform this Honourable House of the total cost of hosting the Cost of Living Summit in June 2025, broken down by each vendor and sum incurred by the Government of Bermuda in hosting same?”