As secretary of state for communities and local government, Hazel Blears is well used to getting her tongue around the tortuous language of bureaucrats, but the minister for all things local is also learning Spanish — at public expense.

At first glance it is hard to see how the MP for Salford could justify such a call on her busy schedule and the public purse but her spokesman confirmed she had used departmental funds for foreign language training including a “handful” of Spanish lessons.

Her interest in matters Iberian emerged when the Tory MP Greg Hands asked ministers what personal training courses they had undertaken courtesy of the taxpayer since their appointment.

Hands said: “I cannot see why the communities secretary would need Spanish lessons at the taxpayer’s expense, unless she’s planning a holiday in Mallorca.

“If this were in America, the minister responsible for social cohesion might be expected to learn Spanish, but Britain is not known for having a massive Latino community.”

Blears, former chairwoman of the Labour party and sixth placed candidate in last year’s deputy leadership elections, admits her favourite holiday was “motorbiking across Spain”.

Indeed her working-class constituency boasts historic links with the International Brigade during the Spanish civil war. The Working Class Movement Library in Salford has an impressive collection of war artefacts.

With her newfound linguistic skills, Señora Blears could converse with Salford’s most famous bullfighter, “El Ingles”, aka Frank Evans, one of only a few Englishmen ever to earn the title of matador. Evans, 65, made a dramatic comeback from retirement in August after quadruple heart surgery and a knee replacement. Blears and Evans share a love of white-knuckle pursuits. The minister has a passion for fast motorbikes, particularly Yamaha Viragos, American Harley-Davidsons and Italian Benellis. Spanish motorbike vocab she may find useful: el acelerador, throttle; el freno, brake; las ruedas, wheels.

Blears, an accomplished tap-dancer who twirls with the Division Belles, a troupe of women MPs who perform for charity, might even consider taking up flamenco dancing.

A communities and local government spokesman said: “Secretary of state Hazel Blears undertook fewer then three hours of Spanish language tuition in 2007. These lessons were in working Spanish and approved in advance by the department. Hazel Blears has a particular interest in Spanish local government and its devolved federal system. These lessons were ahead of a Council of European Ministers meeting that Hazel Blears attended in Valencia, during which she would have put her learning into practice on behalf of the British taxpayer.”

Hands also discovered Lord Mandelson had been taking lessons in how to use his BlackBerry, the favourite high-tech accessory for newly appointed ministers. “I’m a little surprised he thinks that the taxpayer should fund a course,” Hands said.

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