§ Mr. Peter Reesasked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the cost to the Exchequer of ministerial travel outside the United Kingdom during the past 12 months; the cost of travel by Ministers' wives outside the United Kingdom during the same period; and the cost of travel outside the United Kingdom by civil servants, including political advisers, attending on Ministers during the same period.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisCentral records of ministerial visits overseas have only been collected from August 1975 to date. They show the overall cost for such visits to be approximately £538,000. From the information held centrally, it is not possible separately to identify the cost of travel or to apportion the overall cost to expenditure between Ministers, Ministers' wives, civil servants or political advisers. Such information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The expenses of a Minister's wife when accompanying her husband abroad on official business are normally borne by the Minister. Pay-806W ment is made from public funds only exceptionally and when it is clearly in the public interest that she should accompany him.