THE Welsh government is refusing to disclose the cost of Vaughan Gething’s luxury-class trip to India and five-star hotel stay for a two-and-a-half hour meeting with Tata bosses last month.

The First Minister’s embattled administration claimed that it was not in the public interest to reveal the information, adding that it would be published in April next year.

Mr Gething flew to Mumbai with Virgin, travelling “upper class,” and returned with British Airways, in business class, with three members of government staff. They all stayed at the swanky Taj Lands End hotel in the suburb of Bandra West.

Among them was Dickie Davies, deputy director of special projects, and Welsh government lead official for Tata Steel, who refused to disclose the travel and accomodation costs following a freedom of information request by the WalesOnline news site.

With the flights alone estimated to have cost up to £5,215 per person, he said the information would be published at the end of the next financial year, so “we believe the public interest would be better served in the information being published at the appropriate time.”

WalesOnline is appealing against the decision to refuse its request.

The Indian steel giant is set to close two blast furnaces in Port Talbot by September, claiming it needs to switch to greener alternatives as it is losing £1 million a day.

Steelworkers in the Unite union will begin an indefinite strike next month over the plans, which will result in 1,900 job losses across south Wales.

Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies said: “The cost of his plane ticket to India is the only cash the First Minister has put on the table for steel jobs, all for a meeting that could have been held in London.”

The Welsh government said that the trip enabled face-to-face talks with senior Tata Steel executives.