§ 24. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost to public funds of the recent visit of King Faisal.
§ Mr. DiamondThe information is not yet known, but I would provisionally estimate a figure around £13,000.
§ Mr. HamiltonCan my right hon. Friend say whether we got value for money?
§ Mr. DiamondThe answer is "Yes".
§ Sir A. V. HarveyWhen the information is published, will the right hon. Gentleman publish also the cost of the visit of Mr. Kosygin, which we were promised would lead to a treaty with Soviet Russia which we still have not got?
§ Mr. DiamondI shall look into the question of the publication of additional information.
§ Mr. MikardoDid my right hon. Friend see the interview which King Faisal gave on television during his visit? Does my right hon. Friend think that what the King said was consistent with the behaviour of a guest on a State visit and whether it formed any part of the value for money which we got out of it?
§ Mr. DiamondI regret that at this time of the year I am too much occupied to spend enough time watching television.
§ Mr. Ronald BellWill the right hon. Gentleman say whether King Faisal was a guest of this country on a State visit, and whether it does not seem highly discourteous to ask for the publication of what it cost to entertain him?
§ Mr. DiamondKing Faisal was, of course, on a State visit, but these are public funds, and I am the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, responsible to Parliament for the payment of public moneys.