§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list each of the overseas trips made by himself and other members of his ministerial team since 2 May, specifying in each case(a) the participating Minister or Ministers, (b) the destination of the trip, (c) the purpose of the trip and (d) the cost of the trip; and if he will make a statement. [15244]
§ Dr. David Clark[holding answer 11 November 1997]: My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary, and I have undertaken the following overseas visits:
Minister/Destination Purpose of the trip Cost £ Chancellor of the Duchy Washington To meet with key figures in the US as part of the preparation for the Better Government White Paper 24,227 Austria Trilateral discussions with Austrian and German Ministers on co-ordinating a better EU regulation strategy across the three countries' consecutive EU Presidencies 3,905 Canada and Boston To investigate how the Canadian Freedom of Information system works and to follow up discussions with leading academics at Harvard on Better Government 16,994 New Zealand and Australia Fact finding visit on Freedom of Information and Better Government 29,235 Parliamentary Secretary Malaysia and Thailand Investigate the use of IT in the delivery of public services in these countries and the public service reforms which both have introduced 10,528