Government Senate Leader David Burch was misleading the public when he compared this year's travel spending by Progressive Labour Ministers with travel spending under the last United Bermuda Party government, it was claimed last week.

And a Royal Gazette study of the statistics that Sen. Burch used at last Monday's Senate session show that he was comparing two different sets of statistics.

Sen. Burch came under fire from Senate Opposition Leader Kim Swan last Wednesday over the travel spending issue.

"I hope Sen. Burch will take the opportunity to set the record straight," Sen. Swan said during the motion to adjourn in the final Senate session of the year.

Earlier this month, The Royal Gazette reported that Government's ministerial spending totalled more than $373,000 up to November 1. The travel expense details were submitted to Parliament in response to written questions from Opposition Shadow Ministers to their Government counterparts.

In Senate last Monday, Sen. Burch attacked the Opposition for continuing to probe the Government's travel expenditure and claimed they did not even seem to have a point.

He claimed that a 1998 Auditor General's report which showed the 1996 to 1997 travel spending of six Government departments and the Cabinet Office totalled close to $2 million.

That total excluded travel associated with training and conferences.

Sen. Burch said, according to that report, the amount the UBP spent on travel was far greater than the $373,000 spent in the last 12 months.

But Sen. Swan said it was an unfair comparison to make because the two amounts were not based on the same parameters.

"I made it crystal clear what I said," Sen. Burch replied to the criticism. "You raise the business of travel as a political ploy to infuriate the people."

A Royal Gazette study of the Auditor's Report shows that the two figures are difficult to compare. The Cabinet Ministers' travel figures this year only accounted for Ministers and any senior civil servants who may have accompanied them.

The Auditor's report released in 1998 covered Government travel expenditure for 12 departments and the Cabinet Office and included travel by Ministers and all civil servants, except for training and conferences.

The report said that the total for travel by all 12 departments and the Cabinet Office was almost $2 million. A closer audit of six departments and the Cabinet Office showed that they had spent approximately $1 million.

The report said there was no public guidance "on how or whether Ministers and civil servants should demonstrate that the costs they claimed were reasonable or economical", as required under the policy.

Auditor Larry Dennis also said there was "considerable uncertainty as to who, if anyone, is normally entitled to first class air travel".

"... Government circular #1/98 contains a reminder that ministers and civil servants travelling with them should fly business class, and use first class only where business class is unavailable. Ministers and officials accompanying them, however, often travel first class with no indication on the expense claims that business travel class was unavailable."

The Auditor recommended that a single document be issued outlining all Government travel policies.