Amid newspaper reports that the move could land Hoon in political hot water, the Ministry of Defence said the government would be represented at David Kelly's funeral Wednesday by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

A spokeswoman said that the decision followed discussions with Kelly's widow. The scientist, a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq, apparently killed himself by slashing his wrist.

The Sunday Telegraph weekly reported that Hoon had decided to go ahead with a long-planned family holiday to the United States, despite warnings from ministerial colleagues that his actions could be seen as insensitive.

Kelly apparently took his life last month after he was identified as the probable source of a BBC story -- hotly denied by Prime Minister Tony Blair -- claiming that the government had "sexed up" a September 2002 dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to strengthen the case for war on Saddam Hussein.

Amid press questions about how Kelly was publicly identified and whether the government was partially to blame for his death, Hoon faces questioning by an independent judicial inquiry over how the scientist's name came to be released to journalists.

Hoon, who media reports have speculated could resign if he is criticised by the inquiry, was attacked earlier this year for taking a skiing holiday while British troops were gathering in the Kuwaiti desert ready for the invasion of Iraq.

The Mail on Sunday tabloid quoted government sources as saying that the naming of Kelly was ordered by Alastair Campbell, Blair's close aide and powerful media strategist.

It also reported that Kelly had been warned that his employment contract with the government might be ended, which would have damaged his pension rights, and that he was put under further pressure before his death by being threatened with losing a hefty bonus because he could face disciplinary action for briefing journalists.

Meanwhile, the defence ministry denied a report that its officials had tried to incinerate a "media plan" -- a strategy for dealing with the press -- about Kelly three days after his death.

A spokeswoman did confirm that there had been a "security breach" in which confidential waste documents had been left out when they should have been secured.

The papers were understood to have included a digest of press stories relating to the defence ministry, including reports on Kelly.

The spokeswoman said that the matter had been referred to the police who had taken no further action.

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