Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this afternoon listed occasions where his wife travelled on official business abroad without him, and said the same procedures are being followed as in the past.

Replying to a question in Parliament by Nationalist MP David Agius,  Dr Muscat said that since March 2013 his wife had travelled abroad nine times when he was not present.

The travel was related to invitations from Puttinu Cares, The European Organisation for Rare Diseases, AIDS/LifeCycle and Special Olympics.

One of the trips was for the canonisation of Pope john Paul II where, on a  government invitation, a representative of the Opposition also attended.

The travel was to the UK, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Cyprus and the United States. The average cost on flights, transfers, food and lodging was €1,191. She was not given a per diem allowance.

Dr Muscat said the government was following the practice of the previous government. Between 2007 and 2011 the then prime minister’s wife had gone abroad on a number of occasions, to Cyprus, the UK, Belgium and Portugal.

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