Economy Minister Chris Cardona this evening said information requested by a PN MP on travel, food and drink expenses incurred by his ministry in the past four years is still being gathered.

PN MP Edwin Vassallo asked the minister to list his travel expenses for 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, to state the names of those who had travelled with him. He was also asked to state where the tickets had been purchased from, what expenses had been incurred for food and transport and what costs had been incurred on drinks from hotels or other places.

The Minister said the information was still being gathered and would be provided in a future sitting.

Last month, the National Audit Office rapped Dr Cardona over a €756 spend on alcohol during a Dubai visit. €318 had been spent on hotel mini-bar booze. Dr Cardona was in Dubai with chief of staff Mario Azzopardi and personal assistant Dana Bonnici. Mr Azzopardi was later blamed for the minibar spend and was asked to refund the amount, in what PM Joseph Muscat described as a 'mature decision.'

The government did not say if the balance would be refunded and, if so, by whom.