Emergency Services Minister David Elliott holidays in Europe amid fire crisis

Less than a week after Scott Morrison cut his Hawaiian family holiday short amid criticism for being out of the country during the bushfire crisis, Emergency Services Minister David Elliott will jet off to Europe on his own vacation.

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Emergency services minister David Elliott will take a family holiday to London but has pledged to return early “if the bushfire situation should demand it”.

It comes less than a week after Prime Minister Scott Morrison was forced to apologise for any offence caused by his own leave at the height of the fire crisis.

Emergency Services Minister David Elliott and (behind) RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons hold a press conference at the RFS headquarters. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

Mr Elliott issued a statement to The Daily Telegraph saying he had decided against cancelling his trip to the UK and France despite the rolling fire disaster.

“Bushfire-affected communities and firefighters are always at the front of my mind during this difficult time in NSW,” he said.

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“I have toured over a dozen fire lines in the past six weeks and, together with the Premier and the Commonwealth, we have announced more than $88 million in ­recovery assistance to bushfire affected communities.”

Mr Elliott said he would hand his duties to Prisons Minister Anthony Roberts while he was gone.

Scott Morrison copped criticism for holidaying in Hawaii while NSW burned. Picture: Steven Saphore

“I will continue to receive two briefings each day from the RFS Commissioner. If the bushfire situation should ­demand it, I will return home,” he said.

Mr Elliott and his wife lost their ­fathers to illness during the past year and were looking forward to much-needed leave.

He will visit friends in the UK and his uncle’s grave in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in France.

Mr Morrison returned to Australia on Saturday night after cutting short his family vacation in Hawaii.

He issued a statement apologising to any Australians he had upset by being out of the country during the bushfire activity.