Herm School has been visited by just one Education member

The details were revealed in response to Deputy Chris Le Tissier's questions to all committees to reveal details of their travel costs since October 2020.

Education, Sport & Culture has proved to be the busiest so far, with 10 trips over that time.

Eight were to Alderney, where ESC oversees St Ann’s School. One was to London in October 2023 for a British-Irish Council: Early Years Ministerial gathering.

The only other trip was a single journey to Herm on 23 May last year by ESC vice-president Sam Haskins and two officers.

That was the same day it was announced the primary school, with just four children on the roll, was to close that summer and the children would instead start making daily trips to Guernsey from September.

The school was closed, but then reopened later in the autumn after a successful requete overturned the closure.

Since then ESC has argued the school should still close, as it was not good for pupils or taxpayers to keep it.

However, no further political trips have been made to Herm since May last year.

At least the cost of a trip would not deter the committee, as the travel was free due to an arrangement between Herm Trident and Herm Island, meaning there is no charge for ferry travel connected to education provision for Herm’s children.

In terms of the Alderney visits, four were day trips, with politicians often staying in the Braye Beach Hotel when they made overnight trips.

The trips included school board meetings and headteacher interviews.

The London trip was undertaken by Deputy Haskins in October last year, with an officer. They spent £229.98 each for a flight and both stayed in a Premier Inn.

Environment & Infrastructure members made two trips which have been declared.

President Lindsay de Sausmarez travelled to Northern Ireland for two days in October 2021 for a British-Irish Council ministerial meeting, along with one civil servant.

Her total travel costs, including a night in the Europa Hotel in Belfast, cost £492, while the civil servant cost about £460.

In June 2023 Deputy de Sausmarez was joined by members Adrian Gabriel and Aidan Matthews on a day trip to Jersey for an inter-island development meeting.

They were joined by a civil servant, and their flights cost nearly £150 each.

It was noted that regular inter-island meetings were held on Teams, but each island hosted at least one in-person meeting per term.

Deputy de Sausmarez also travelled to Cop 28 in Dubai in December 2023, but the cost of flights and accommodation were not met by E&I.

Scrutiny also published its responses yesterday. The States has paid for no flights for its political members relating to Scrutiny business.

The Development & Planning Authority president Victoria Oliver and vice-president Andy Taylor made one off-island trip in the four years – a day trip to Alderney to observe an open planning meeting and discuss matters of mutual interest. The flights cost £111 per person.

Of the seven main committees, Health & Social Care, Economic Development and Policy & Resources are still to publish responses.