I came across this one and so have posted an edited version of it.
From Private Eye:
Why does 73 year old controller and auitor general Sir john Bourn, head of the National Audit Office since 1988 carry on working long after other top public officials have called it a day?
Information unearthed by Private Eye using the Freedom of Information Act suggests that it might be that the job as enabled Sir John, whose task is to ensure taxpayers money is not wasted, to live the highlife at the expense of the taxpayer.
Although the NAO - whose motto is "helping the nation spend wisely" might be thought of as a domestic operation, in the 3 years upto this March Sir John managed 43 trips abroad. On 22 of these he was accompanied by his wife Ardita.
Amongst these were a 4 day trip to Mauritius for a "peer review" of the islands audit office and in one 6 week period in 2005, sucessive trips to India, Morocco and Canada to discuss training and a "global working group". All told the travel bill for Sir John's private office comes to £336,000 of which some £76,000 went on the fares for his good wife.
The NAO insists that "Lady Bourn attends where necessary to meet the expectations of the host in line with the established practise in the diplomatic service and her presense is greatly appreciated." - well not by this hard put up on taxpayer it is not. Except as they state in Private Eye his is in fact the states head bean counter, not a diplomat.
In Feb 2005 the stayed a few days extra in Auckland, New Zealand after the Commonwealth Auditors Conference had finished. After a 2 day trip to Brazil in September, that was extended by 3 days. Oh and their sojourn to the Bahamas six months ago for the Carribean Organisation of State Audit Offices Congree. This ran from the 16th - 19th Oct. They did not travel until the 18th, after a hard days graft on the 19th they took a much needed break some five days later.
Sir John also made some 12 single night trips for all but one of which, oddly, Lady Bourn's wife was not needed for her diplomatic skills.
The NAO said that it could not name the hotels that they had stayed in, but they are known to do things in style. When the NAO audited the International Atomic Energy Authority for nine years until 2003, Sir John insisted(yep thats right he insisted) on staying at the Sacher in Vienna that costs several hundred pounds per night. The same go's for flying until it was grounded Sir John flew on concorde, passing on the cheaper jumbo flights that us plebs have to use quoting "in order to manage competing demands in the UK and USA" according to the NAO. I feel for him I really do, this poor poor man has now to suffer the indignity of flying with the plebs.
Commenting on suspected dealings elsewhere recently, Sir John quoted Lord Nolan on standards "Holders of public office should take decisions solely in the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family or their friends." - Quite. One can be guess that it was these same high standards that a year ago persuaded the PM to appoint Sir John as his "independent advisor on ministerial interests" in the wake of David Blunkett inappropriately obtaining a first class rail ticket for his then squeeze Kimberly Fortier.
Six months later Sir John and wife were sunning themselves in the Bahamas at public expense - first class all the way you know.
It is nice to know that in these days of video conferencing, the internet, e-mail and telephone that we still have hard working staff on the public payroll who insist on travelling in person to far flung places around the globe and even drag along the good lady wife to help out. Even more he is so dedicated to the job that he has stayed on even past the age of retirement. A heart felt well done to Sir John Bourn, worth every penny the hard put upon taxpayers pay him.
Tags:Sir Loadsamoney
Lady Loadsamoney
NAO
National Audit Office
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