§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what plans he has to accompany Her Majesty the Queen on State visits in the next two years; [150387]
(2) what overseas visits are planned for Her Majesty the Queen during the next two years. [150390]
§ Mr. StrawHer Majesty The Queen announced in her Gracious Speech at the State Opening of Parliament that she is to make a State Visit to France from 5 to 7 April 2004 to mark the official start of events commemorating the Centenary of the Entente Cordiale. I will accompany her on that visit.
At the Anglo/French summit on 24 November 2003, Her Majesty was invited by President Chirac of France to attend the 60th anniversary commemoration of the Normandy Landings on 6 June.
Beyond that, the forward programme of visits by Her Majesty is not yet finalised. In the normal course of events I would accompany Her Majesty on State Visits, as I did on Her Majesty's State visit to Nigeria in December 2003.