§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the(a) budgeted and (b) actual expenditure by his Department on (1) internal and (2) overseas travel by the Secretary of State in 1992–93 after 11 April 1992 and so far in 1993–94.
§ Mr. HanleyMy right hon. and learned Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence is not allocated his own individual budget for travel purposes.
From our records, the costs of his internal and overseas travel from 11 April 1992 to 31 January 1994 can be assessed as follows:
357W
Internal £ Overseas £ 1992–93 (from 11 April 1992) 37,146 222,464 1993–94 (to date) 43,365 187,153 Figures are approximate and cover the costs of Royal Air Force and civil flights. The 'internal' column includes some flights to Europe which it has not possible to identify separately in the time available.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what ministerial visits have been made by representatives of his Department, over each of the last three years to(a) Indonesia, (b) Jordan, (c) Oman, (d) Nigeria, (e) Ecuador, (f) Malaysia and (g) India; and what was their main purpose in each case.
§ Mr. HanleyOfficial visits by Ministers to the countries listed have been as follows:
Indonesia
- Secretary of State—1991, 1993
- Under-Secretary of State (Armed Forces)—1991
Jordan
None
Oman
- Secretary of State—1992, 1994
- Minister (Defence Procurement)—1991, 1992, 1993
Nigeria
None
Ecuador
Minister (Defence Procurement)—1992
Malaysia
- Secretary of State—1991, 1993
- Minister (Defence Procurement)—1991
- Under-Secretary of State—1992, 1993
- Under-Secretary of State (Armed Forces)—1991
India
Under-Secretary of State—1993
Ministerial visits are generally made to maintain and improve our defence relations with the host country. In each case a broad range of issues was discussed.