AP

Be honest, if you were asked to attend a conference on the paradise island of Bali, what would spring to mind - the chance to plunge headfirst into your work or into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean?

We will never know how Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott would have dealt with such a dilemma after he was dropped from a delegation travelling to the Indonesian island in May.

Mr Prescott was blackballed by the government's communications director Alastair Campbell fearing the trip would be branded a junket by the press.

Minister scrubbed

Now, it seems, the same fate has befallen Mr Prescott's colleague Michael Meacher.

Conducive to hard work: The paradise island of Bali

The environment minister has reportedly been scrubbed from the official British delegation travelling to Johannesburg for the United Nations Earth Summit later this month.

Again it seems the fear of headlines about junketing have prompted the move by Downing Street.

But this time environmental groups have hit back claiming Mr Meacher's absence will seriously dent Britain's image.

Generous offer

Friends of the Earth has even offered to pay his air fare and accommodation, although it would mean he would not be travelling in the style to which ministers are normally accustomed.

And when it comes to conferencing, isn't that half the point? Business travel, and conferences in particular, have never just been about hard graft.

Standing by: Michael Meacher may have to stay at home

With five-star hotels, lavish dinners, glamorous locations and first class travel, it's no wonder the office back home is alive with talk of junkets, freebies, perks and gravy trains.

The Bali conference that Mr Prescott missed out on seems to be a case in point. Although the summit was simply designed to clear the way for the Johannesburg gathering, organisers did not stint.

Official business centred on the island's luxury holiday spot of Nusa Dua, with its lagoons, coral reefs and white sand beaches. The British delegation stayed at the resort's Hyatt hotel, which is set in 40 acres of gardens, with waterfall-fed pools, five restaurants and six swimming pools.

When challenged about the conference, environment secretary Margaret Beckett defended her team of civil servants, saying they worked "damned hard".

Warding off junket jibes

The UK delegation to Bali was cut from 44 to 18 delegates The delegation to Johannesburg reportedly to be cut from 100 to 70

There is a fine line between work and play, acknowledges business travel writer Roger Bray, and it can be difficult for outsiders to distinguish the difference.

"By and large there's not much you get at a conference from a platform that you can't get from a piece of paper," says Mr Bray.

"In my experience, 90% of conferences are about networking - meeting people and building relationships."

Social programme

That sort of work requires a social programme, which is where charges of junketing reach fever pitch. Golf figures highly, but organisers will also arrange sightseeing trips, visits to theatres and "dine arounds" - where delegates are divided into smaller groups for a restaurant booking.

Some firms are cutting back on accommodation

The idea is to oil the wheels so delegates get talking to each other. A plentiful supply of alcohol is another sure-fire method.

Yet the rock and roll instincts of your average businessman have been dampened in recent times, says Mr Bray.

"There's no doubt some organisations do mix ski trips with conferences, but there is a tendency for them to be shorter and pithier. Business travel budgets are being trimmed all over the place and if you are going to a conference at the moment you would have to make a very good case for it.

Shorter stays

"You get smaller teams travelling now and people jet in and jet out for a day and don't tend to linger."

Wings clipped: John Prescott

The wobbly stock market and worries about recession have done much to curtail excesses. Downgrading business travellers to economy class is sometimes all that's needed to weed out half-hearted delegates.

And as with any travel issue, 11 September has had an impact as well. Companies, especially American firms, now think twice about putting staff on aeroplanes and teleconferencing in the US reportedly rose by 50% last year.

Could the new found Puritanism in business put an end to the junket forever?