The Qatar Government paid for First Minister Mark Drakeford to stay in a luxury five-star hotel during his visit to the country as part of his World Cup trip, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has shown. The request also revealed the Qatar Government provided the accommodation, board, and transport for the First Minister and accompanying officials as a part of a hospitality package.
The First Minister, minister for economy Vaughan Gething and four officials stayed in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Doha for three nights. The response to the FOI submitted by BBC Wales says that this hospitality package was offered to all delegates and their travelling parties attending the World Cup. The Ritz Carlton hotel in Doha is described on its website as being set on a private island offering a "rich resort experience".
There were calls long before the tournament started for Welsh Government figures to boycott Qatar over concerns about the country’s human rights record, its treatment of migrant workers who built the stadiums used in the World Cup and stance on LGBTQ+ rights, with homosexuality illegal in the country.
Read more: Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething's World Cup trip to Qatar cost just over £13,000 in public money
The Welsh Government had previously said the trip was intended to strengthen links with Qatar, saying: "This was an opportunity to discuss trade and investment opportunities, meet with members of the Qatar Government and to take part in cultural meetings to strengthen the links between the two countries."
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price criticised Mr Drakeford’s trip before the tournament got under way in November. He referenced a comment from former Qatari international footballer Khalid Salman, now a public face of the World Cup in Qatar, who said homosexuality was a “damage in the mind”. Mr Price asked if the First Minister would be reconsidering his visit in light of those comments, with Mr Drakeford going ahead with the planned trip after the Welsh Government stressed that it “condemns these shameful comments and stands in solidarity with LGBTQ+ communities everywhere”.
Last month a separate FOI request submitted by the Welsh Liberal Democrats showed that the minister's trip to the country was projected to cost £13,007 in public money.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats had repeatedly called on Mr Drakeford and Mr Gething to cancel their visit, deeming it to be “inappropriate given the country’s record on human rights but also an unnecessary use of public money during the cost-of-living crisis”. As a result of their FOI the party called on Welsh Labour to donate £13,000 of its own funds to human rights charities to make up for the cost incurred by the taxpayer.
Responding to the BBC, the Welsh Government said: "The first minister and the economy minister visited Qatar to support the Welsh men's football team as they took part in their first World Cup in 64 years.
"This was an opportunity to discuss trade and investment opportunities, meet with members of the Qatar government and the International Labour Organisation to discuss worker rights, and to take part in cultural meetings to strengthen the links between the Qatar and Wales.
"The visit also was a chance to share our values on human rights, LGBTQ+ rights, workers' rights and political and religious freedom."
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