Cheque the Hols!

Dear Chums

I learnt two new amazing music-related facts over the weekend.
Firstly, the delightful Sarah Harding suggested the name Girls
Aloud to the other lovely lasses as she is a big fan of Radio 4's
Thinking Allowed -because she simply loved the pun.

The other fact is even more amazing. I was in Eland House's
(subsidised) cafe recently and I saw Great Uncle Eric tucking into
a mixed grill. He was listening to an iPod and I think I could just
make the Dizzee Rascal hit 'Holiday' leaking from his headphones.
Amazing, both poor Grant Shapps and Uncle Eric are fans of the
Rascal - I hope they have not been sharing music illegally though.
It does seem their music taste is different from Greg Clarke who
loves the pomp of attending the Last Night of the Proms - of course
only when the tickets are a gift!

The 'Holiday' tune got me thinking about trips abroad - perhaps
Uncle Eric too was reliving some fine recent memories? Everyone
knows in these difficult all-in-it-together times that work trips
come under close scrutiny, especially when Ministers are expected
to publish all expenditure. So how could a Minister possibly grab
their 'passport and bikini ' and escape that 'same old scenery 'as
D Rascal might put it, for some overseas fun? Hey, why not get a
junior member of staff to tag along and get him/her to put in the
expense claim? Surely no one would look there, would they???

Can you please supply the following information?

1. A list of locations and dates, since May 2010, where DCLG
Ministers have been on foreign trips?
2. For each trip can you provide details any other DCLG staff
member that accompanied for all or part of trip? Please supply name
and job title?
3. Please supply detailed expense claims for each attendee of the
trips? Include if possible claims that were submitted and
subsequently rejected.

I fear you may try to avoid answering this request by declaring it
vexatious, even though the questions are important and legitimate.
I therefore urge anyone else interested to 'dance wiv me' and
submit the three questions above on their own behalf. I understand
we will be surprised by what we find out.

Yours in Grime

Derek