Globetrotting John Prescott will not be attending a mini-summit in the paradise island of Bali, according to the Cabinet Office.

The deputy prime minister had faced a barrage of criticism when reports revealed the trip could cost the taxpayer �250,000.

John Prescott diving at Deep Sea World

Mr Prescott had been expected to head a delegation of about 30 civil servants to the luxury Nusa Dua resort later this month to prepare for this summer's Earth Summit in Johannesburg.

But following talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki this week, he decided his services were not required at the warm-up conference in Bali.

Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett will now take the lead role with officials from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Not a health issue

A spokesman for the Cabinet Office told BBC News Online: "Mr Prescott has decided not to go to the part of the conference in Bali which was taking place at the end of this month.

"He was going to go, but following his discussions with Thabo Mbeki, he has decided there is no need."

Some of the places visited by Mr Prescott on business:

March 1999 Maldives April 2001 New York and Washington October 2001 Russia November 2001 New York, Washington, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Vietnam March 2002 Vancouver April 2002 Brazil

And the Cabinet Office spokesman insisted that Mr Prescott's decision to call off his trip was "absolutely nothing" to do with recent disclosures that he was suffering from diabetes.

Last week Tony Blair's official spokesman said last week "the people who need to go, will go".

Mr Prescott has previously come under attack for snorkelling in the Maldives in 1999 during a trip to highlight the destruction of coral reefs in the Indian Ocean.

By withdrawing from the Nusa Dua trip, keen diver Mr Prescott will miss out seeing the region's colourful tropical fish, soft corals & sponges growing on 25kms of barrier reef.

Earlier this month, Mr Prescott spent about 20 minutes diving in a shark tank at Deep Sea World in North Queensferry, near Edinburgh, during a visit to Scotland where he was speaking at a Labour Party dinner in Fife.