TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has once again started posting details of his expenses on his departmental website, following an unexplained gap of more than two months.

The failure to publish the details was highlighted in the Sunday Tribune last week and within a day, the expense claims were put online.

Cowen had made a promise last September that documents relating to his overseas travel would be made publicly available from now on.

Following that, his department had posted a series of five monthly updates, which came to an end on 10 February without explanation.

Cowen's original decision to post the details online was made because of growing controversy over political expenses following the resignation of former minister John O'Donoghue.

According to the Department of the Taoiseach website, there were no payments made in February of this year for overseas travel. In March, payments totalling €3,233.50 were paid for car hire, accommodation, flights and other charges, covering a period between November 2009 and March of this year. That included €525.44 for an economy class flight for Cowen's wife Mary to travel to the US for St Patrick's Day.

Other costs included almost €900 paid to Cartel Direct car hire for collection at RAF Northolt on two separate trips to London in January.

Cowen also appears to have taken on board criticism of hotel charges: the room rate per person at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Brussels was €217 for himself, his private secretary and his security.

The expense bill does not feature any of the costs from Cowen's St Patrick's Day visit to the US, apart from his wife's airline ticket bill.

Cowen has been the only member of government to voluntarily post details of his expenses online.

Environment minister John Gormley also suggested he would do the same last year at the height of the expenses controversy but no details are available on his website.