§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions in the past year his spouse has travelled abroad to accompany him at public expense on public duties; what has been the total cost of this to public funds; on how many occasions such travel has been undertaken at own cost; and what was the destination and the duration of these foreign trips.
§ The Prime MinisterDuring the past year, my wife has accompanied me on overseas visits on two occasions, as follows:
Date Visit 13–15 February 1994 Russian Federation 18–22 September 1994 Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa On both occasions, costs attributed to my wife were minimal because she travelled on charter aircraft and stayed as "Guest of Government" or at residences.
There have been no occasions when such travel was undertaken at own cost.