HM Revenue and Customs staff ran up a bill of more than £1.7 million on trips abroad last year, according to official figures.

Some £1,751,257 went on flights, accommodation, and meals for overseas visits during the 2007/08 financial year, according to official figures, the Press and Journal reported.

The true spend will be significantly higher because the government department claimed it could not supply details of hotel bills for the first three months, the newspaper said.

Treasury Minister Jane Kennedy was quoted as saying: 'The duties of HMRC staff cover a wide range of posts and some roles in particular require overseas travel and accommodation in support of key departmental objectives – for example, EU policy development, enforcement of prohibition and restrictions and mutual administrative assistance.'

She said facts on where officials travelled could not be disclosed for " policy and operational reasons" – though similar details have been released previously.

Shadow chief Treasury secretary Philip Hammond, who obtained the figures using parliamentary questions, said they raised questions in the wake of blunders such as the loss of the entire child benefit database, the Press and Journal added.

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