Wong approved for 11 foreign trips

Former minster Pansy Wong took 10 overseas trips in the two years she was in Cabinet, new information shows.

Ms Wong resigned from her ministerial portfolios and has been away from Parliament since admitting her husband carried out private business while they were on a taxpayer subsidised trip to China.

Ms Wong was entitled to the subsidy as an MP but there are rules against conducting personal business on such trips.

Speaker Lockwood Smith was conducting a review of the issue and Prime Minister John Key has advised Ms Wong to wait for his report before returning to Parliament.

In an answer to a written parliamentary question released today, Mr Key said he approved 11 international trips for Ms Wong between December 2008 and November this year.

The last of those, a trip to India scheduled for this week, was not undertaken.

Of the 10 trips she went on five were to China, three to Australia, one to the United States and another to Japan.

Speaking for Mr Key in Parliament today, Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said 10 of the 11 trips were for ministerial business.

Ms Wong held the women's affairs and ethnic affairs portfolios.

Mr English said trips to Australia were increasingly becoming seen as domestic rather than international trips.

"The Prime Minister scrutinises the proposals and signs them off," he said.

- NZPA