'Video conferencing would cut £4m bill'
OVER £4m spent on flights and accommodation for civil servants travelling to meetings has been described as "wasteful" by Ulster Unionist Sam Gardiner.
The Upper Bann MLA has called for greater use of video conferencing technology and says the civil service could save "at least half-a-million a year" by ditching the "old-fashioned" practice of flying to Great Britain.
"In these days with technological advance, there is no reason why we should persist with old fashioned and costly practices such as flying civil servants back and forwards to Whitehall and further afield.
"Video-conferencing has been available for over two decades and there is no good reason why these civil servants should not use it to communicate with people they need to meet elsewhere."
Mr Gardiner said that in nine months in 2008, civil servants took over 2,584 bmi flights to Heathrow – at an average price of 199 per seat – resulting in a bill of 514,503. The total average annual bill including hotels and taxis was 838,900.
Unlimited video conferencing facilities were available online for as little as 75+VAT per month, he said.
A spokeswoman from the finance department at Stormont said they are continually looking at ways of cutting travel costs.
She said: "The Northern Ireland Civil Service promotes the use of video-conferencing where practical and appropriate. Video-conferencing equipment is currently available in several buildings."
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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