HC Deb 02 November 1966 vol 735 cc106-11W
86. Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish in HANSARD details of the overseas visits made by Ministers in his Department during the past two years; for what purpose and at what costs these visits were made; and what have been the results of such visits.

Mr. Healey

Yes. As a result of the visits, Ministers were enabled to fulfil their responsibilities for the Services more effectively and to participate in discussions with our allies.

Date Minister Places Visited Purpose of Visit Cost
10. 10th-16th Jan. 1965 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Royal Navy Gibraltar and Malta To visit HM Ships and Establishments See note (i)
11. 26th-27th Feb. 1965 Secretary of State for Defence Paris Talks with French Minister of Defence See note (i)
12. 10th-l1th March 1965 Minister of Defence for the Army Paris To visit SHAPE and to address a meeting of WEU See note (i)
13. 24th-28th March 1965 Minister of Defence for the Royal Air Force U.S.A For discussions in the Department of Defence See note (i)
14. 8th-10th April 1965 Secretary of State for Defence Germany Talks with German Minister of Defence and visit BAOR See note (i)
15. 19th-27th April 1965 Minister of Defence for the Royal Navy Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong To visit Ships and Establishments of the Far East Fleet See note (i)
16. 20th-25th April 1965 Minister of Defence for the Royal Air Force Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus and Libya To visit RAF units See note (i)
17. 23rd-26th April 1965 Secretary of State for Defence Norway To visit Norwegian Minister of Defence and Service establishments See note (i)
18. 16th-23rd May 1965 Secretary of State for Defence Middle East To visit British Forces See note (i)
19. 31st May-1st June 1965 Secretary of State for Defence France Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers See note (i)
20. 7th-15th June, 1965 Minister of Defence for the Royal Air Force Canada To visit Ministry of Defence and RCAS units See note (i)
21. 19th June 1965 Minister of Defence for the Royal Air Force France Visit to Salon d'Aeronautique See note (i)
22. 23rd June-2nd July 1965 Minister of Defence for the Army (Mr. Mulley) Aden, Singapore and Addis Ababa Study of Defence Organisation See note (i)
23. 14th-17th Sept. 1965 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Army (Mr. Reynolds) Gibraltar To examine questions of land and housing See note (i)
24. 14th-16th Sept. 1965 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy (Mr. Mallalieu) Gibraltar Study of Civil Redevelopment Scheme See note (i)
25. 21st-24th Sept. 1965 Minister of Defence for the Army (Mr. Mulley) Munchen Gladbach and Berlin To visit troops and training in BAOR See note (i)
26. 1st-9th Oct. 1965 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy (Mr. Mallalieu) Bahrain and Aden To visit HM Ships and naval establishments See note (i)
27. 7th-10th Oct. 1965 Minister of Defence for the Royal Air Force France To visit various NATO headquarters See note (i)
28. 18th-23rd Oct. 1965 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force (Mr. Millan) Cyprus To visit RAF units See note (i)
29. 9th-10th Nov. 1965 *Secretary of State for Defence and three officials Belgium Meeting with Belgian Defence Minister £ 145
30. 26th-27th Nov. 1965 *Secretary of State for Defence, Minister of Defence for the Army (Mr. Mulley) and four officials France Meeting of NATO Special Nuclear Committee 600
31. 13th-16th Dec. 1965 *Secretary of State for Defence and five officials France NATO Ministerial Meetings 530
32. 2nd-4th Jan. 1966 *Minister of Defence for the Royal Air Force and two officials Germany To visit RAF units 1,290

Date Minister Places Visited Purpose of Visit Cost
£
33. 9th-14th Jan. 1966 *Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy (Mr. Mallalieu) Bermuda and U.S.A. To visit HM Ships and establishments and U.S. Polaris School 572
34. 10th-12th Jan. 1966 *Minister of Defence for the Army (Mr. Reynolds) and two officials Germany To visit troops and training in BAOR 396
35. 26th Jan.-6th Feb. 1966 *Secretary of State for Defence and ten officials U.S.A., Australia, Malaysia and Singapore Defence Review talks 13,600
36. 18th-19th Feb. 1966 *Secretary of State for Defence and ten officials U.S.A Meeting of NATO Nuclear Planning Working Group 3,030
37. 17th-20th April 1966 *Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force (Mr. Rees) Cyprus To visit RAF units 2,492
38. 5th-6th May 1966 *Secretary of State for Defence and four officials France Meeting with French Minister of Defence 435
39. 12th-18th May 1966 Minister of Defence for the Army (Mr. Reynolds) Middle East To visit the Aden base, operations in the Radfan and Army establishments in the Persian Gulf 188
40. 27th May 1966 *Minister of Defence for the Royal Navy (Mr. Mallalieu) and three officials The Hague To visit Netherlands Admiralty 128
41. 30th May-18th June 1966 *Minister of Defence for the Royal Air Force and two officials Middle East and Far East To visit RAF units 11,500
42. 6th-8th June 1966 *Secretary of State for Defence and four officials Germany Meeting with German Minister of Defence and visit to British Forces 500
43. 27th-29th June 1966 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Army (Mr. Ennals) Germany To visit Army units 43
44. 30th June-2nd July 1966 *Minister of Defence for the Army (Mr. Reynolds) and twelve officials and representatives France To represent HM Government at 50th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme 347
45. 4th-16th July 1966 *Secretary of State for Defence and seven officials Middle East and Far East To visit Service Headquarters and units 10,600
46. 12th-18th July 1966 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy (Lord Winterbottom) Malta To visit HM Ships and naval establishments, and US 6th Fleet 80
47. 16th-18th July 1966 Minister of Defence for the Royal Navy (Mr. Mallalieu) and two officials Mediterranean To visit US 6th Fleet 128
48. 25th-27th July 1966 *Secretary of State for Defence and ten officials France NATO Force Planning Meeting and Meeting with French Minister of Defence 285
49. 22nd-24th Sept. 1966 *Secretary of State for Defence and eight officials Italy Meeting of NATO Nuclear Planning Working Group 1,050

Date Minister Places Visited Purpose of Visit Cost
£
50. 26th Sept.-7th Oct. 1966 *Minister of Defence for the Royal Navy (Mr. Mallalieu) and two officials Far East To visit Far East Fleet 2,880
51. 26th-28th Sept. 1966 *Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force (Mr. Rees) Germany Tovisit R.A.F. Germany 485
52. 27th-30th Sept. 1966 *Minister of Defence for the Army and two officials Belgium, West Germany, and West Berlin To visit B. A.O.R. base installations and headquarters and Army autumn exercise 350
53. 13th Oct. 1966 *Minister of Defence for the Army and 11 officials Bonn Ministerial discussions on foreign exchange costs of B.A.O.R. 320
NOTES:
(i) Complete details of the visits listed at serials 1–28 are not readily available but the total cost was in the order of £50,000.
(ii)* indicates that the Minister was accompanied by a Private Secretary.
(iii) So far as practicable, Service aircraft, where used, were filled up with Service men and families entitled to official air travel on the same route.
(iv) Where journeys were made in aircraft of RAF Transport Command, the transport element in the costs published for some of the flights would have been incurred otherwise for normal training purposes.