Ministerial Travel (Hansard, 13 March 1998)

§ Mr. Flight
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Mr. Viggers) of 19 January 1998, Official Report, columns 438–39, on ministerial travel, when he decided to return to the United Kingdom between Her Majesty the Queen's state visits to the capitals of Pakistan and India. [34082]

§ Mr. Robin Cook
The travel plans for the visits I made to Pakistan and India were decided in July in the light of the agreement reached with Buckingham Palace that I should be in attendance on Her Majesty The Queen in Islamabad on 7 and 8 October and in Delhi on 13 and 14 October.

§ Mr. Wilshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs where the official Government car was based that was used to transfer him from Terminal 4 to Terminal 1 at Heathrow Airport when he returned to the United Kingdom during the Queen's visit to India and Pakistan; and how many miles it travelled whilst carrying out this job. [34364]

§ Mr. Robin Cook
My official car is based at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The round trip to Heathrow is 40 miles.

§ Mr. Wilshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of providing an official Government car to transfer him from Terminal 4 to Terminal 1 at Heathrow Airport when he returned to the United Kingdom during the Queen's visit to India and Pakistan; and if he will list the passengers in the car. [34363]
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§ Mr. Robin Cook
There was no cost to public funds.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have an annual contract with the Government Car Service who provide my official car. This contract covers the car itself, the driver as well as fuel and all other costs, for a period of up to 15 hours a day, from Monday to Friday throughout the year (except public holidays). I was accompanied in the car by my partner, Ms Gaynor Regan, and by my protection officer.
Arrangements for my travel by car within Britain are made by my protection officers. There has been no change since the previous Administration when it was the practice that the Secretary of State was transferred by official car between aeroplanes.