John Swinney has defended a £45,000 bill for business-class flights to the World Cup, after Scottish government spending on official visits to the United States in June was put at almost £100,000.
The expenditure formed part of the costs associated with official travel by the Scottish government during the month. The overall figure for visits to the US was close to six figures, with the World Cup-related business-class flights accounting for £45,000.
The use of business-class travel has placed the cost of the trip under scrutiny, particularly because the flights represented a substantial share of the total spending on the June visits.
Swinney has defended the spending, but the supplied material does not include further details of his explanation or any additional responses from the Scottish government.
The latest known position is that the Scottish government’s June official visits to the United States cost almost £100,000, including £45,000 for business-class flights connected to the World Cup.
