Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward racked up a taxpayer-funded overseas travel bill of £60,376 over the last year.

Four visits were made to the United States of America to meet government officials, with one including a reception to celebrate St Patrick’s Day at the White House.

Meetings with the Irish Deputy Prime Minister in Dublin accounted for three flights while the remaining visit was to Rome for the Consistory.

The details were revealed by Downing Street as Parliament prepared for today’s start of the summer recess.

Disclosures also revealed Apprentice television star Sir Alan Sugar was among dozens of high-profile guests, from royalty to record producers, who have been wined and dined by Gordon Brown at Chequers.

The list of all those who joined the Prime Minister and his wife Sarah at the country retreat during his first year as Premier, also included the Duke of York, veteran actor and film director Lord Attenborough, comedy writer and anti-poverty campaigner Richard Curtis, playwright Sir Tom Stoppard and Beatles producer Sir George Martin.

The Government’s bill for special advisers came in at £5.9m last year with Gordon Brown increasing his Number 10 advisers to 24 from the previous tally of 18.

Four receive the maximum salary of up to £140,560, while 11 are paid between £65,529 and £101,737.

Two special advisors are employed in the NIO — one on between £39,756 -£53,321 and one paid between £65,529-£101,737.

And Tony Blair’s globetrotting “farewell tour” before leaving Downing Street cost the taxpayer more than £700,000.

Trips to Africa, the Middle East, America and Europe during Mr Blair’s final two months in office left a bill for £724,686.

The most expensive leg was a frenetic four days in May last year when the then prime minister visited Washington, Kuwait, Baghdad and Basra with a retinue of 18 officials, at a cost of £319,100.

Just over a week later he set off again accompanied by 30 officials, spending £314,755 on flying visits to Libya, Sierra Leone, Liberia and South Africa.

The “farewell tour” was condemned as an ego-trip by political opponents at the time, although Mr Blair insisted it had been worthwhile.