§ Mr. FabricantTo ask the Prime Minister if he will list the Ministers, officials and others who accompanied him on his visit to Washington on 4 to 7 February, indicating the reasons why each attended, the itinerary of each and their travel and other expenses. [28188]
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§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 6 February 1998]I was accompanied by nine key officials from the No. 10 Private and Press Offices and the Policy Unit and two outside experts. There was also the normal number of security and secure telecommunications staff who accompany a Prime Minister on an overseas visit. The three Ministers on the trip were each accompanied by an official.
Because of the block booking arrangements, the cost per person for travel was £;3,500.
The accommodation costs for all the members of the official delegation were fully met by the United States government. Costs for support staff were £;400 per person. The two outside experts met all their own costs.
These arrangements are in line with overseas visits made by the previous Administration.
The full cost of Ministerial overseas visits for 1996–97 was over £;7.8 million. This compares with expenditure since 1 May of less than £;5 million.