HC Deb 18 October 1966 vol 734 cc13-7W
Q13. Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Prime Minister whether he will publish

Minister, etc. Place/Countries Visited Dates of Visits Purpose of Visits
Foreign Secretary U.S.A. and Canada 7th to 17th October To address the United Nations General Assembly, and to have talks with the President of the United States and with American, and later Canadian Ministers and officials.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Greece 10th to 15th September Talks with the Greek Government.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Paris 28th to 30th September Western European Union Council meeting.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Bonn 11th to 13th October Mixed Commission on B.A.O.R. costs.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Lord Chalfont). Geneva 12th to 25th August Disarmament Conference.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Lord Chalfont). Alpbreh, Nr. Salzburg 26th to 28th August Non-Governmental Seminar on Disarmament.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Lord Chalfont). Copenhagen 28th to 29th September Informal talks with the Danish Government.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Lord Chalfont). New Delhi 6th to 11th October Informal talks with the Indian Government.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Mrs. White). Berlin 15th to 16th September To open the British Pavilion of the Berlin Industries Fair.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Walston) Mexico City 15th to 21st October To represent H.M.G. at the British Industrial Exhibition.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Canada and U.S.A. 17th to 30th September Commonwealth Finance Ministers' Meeting and I.M.F./ I.B.R.D. Meetings.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Bonn 13th October Mixed Commission on B.A.O.R. costs.
Chief Secretary, Treasury Rome, Accra, New Delhi, Singapore, Bangkok, Vientiane. 30th August to 22nd September To consider standards of diplomatic accommodation.

in HANSARD a detailed list giving particulars of Ministers and their chiefs of Department who have during the period of the summer adjournment of the House been on an official overseas visit of any sort, the purpose and cost of each visit, an explanation as to why a personal visit was necessary, and why the business done on these visits could not have been accomplished by means of correspondence, telephone or telegraphic communication.

The Prime Minister

Following is a list of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries who went abroad on official business during the Summer Recess. The list also indicates the purpose of each visit. I regret that final information as to cost is not yet available.

As the House knows, my personal permission is required before any Minister travels abroad at public expense and my hon. Friend can rest assured that, before giving permission, I take all relevant factors, including the possible use of alternative means of communication into account.

Minister, etc. Place/Countries Visited Dates of Visits Purpose of Visits
Commonwealth Secretary Rhodesia 18th to 28th September To acquaint the Governor, etc., and people of Rhodesia with the views of H.M.G. and the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meeting.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations (Lord Beswick). Canada 19th to 23rd September To attend the annual meeting of the Commonwealth Economic Consultative Council.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations (Lord Beswick). Malta 16th to 19th August Consultations with the Malta Government on the Defence Agreement.
Secretary of State for Defence Rome 22nd to 24th September Meeting of N.A.T.O. Nuclear Planning Working Group.
Minister of Defence for the Royal Navy Singapore and Hong Kong 26th September to 7th October Visit to ships and establishments of the Far East Fleet.
Minister of Defence for the Army Belgium, West Germany and Berlin 27th to 30th September Visit to B.A.O.R. base installations and headquarters, and to Army autumn exercise.
Minister of Defence for the Army Bonn 13th October Mixed Commission on B.A.O.R. costs.
Parliamentary Under - Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force West Germany 26th to 28th September Visit to R.A.F. stations and headquarters.
Second Permanent Under Secretary of State (Royal Navy) Malta 8th to 14th September Visit to naval establishments.
Home Secretary U.S.A. 17th September to 3rd October To study police and prison methods in the U.S.A.
Permanent Under Secretary of State, Home Office U.S.A. 17th September to 3rd October To study police and prison methods in the U.S.A.
Minister of State (Home Office) (Miss Bacon) West Germany 4th to 8th September To attend Berlin Police Show and International Police Exhibition at Hanover.
President of the Board of Trade Australia 16th September to 1st October Principally to see at first hand the British export effort in Australia.
Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Mason) Brussels and Bretigny (near Paris) 8th September To visit the Headquarters of Eurocontrol (the European organisation for the safety of air navigation) and the Euro-control Experimental Centre.
Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Mason) Switzerland 12th to 14th September To visit Nuclex '66, the international Nuclear Industries Fair.
Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Mason) Brazil and Venezuela 18th to 29th September To promote British exports.
Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Mason) Holland 4th October To lay the foundation stone of the Eurocontrol Upper Air Space Centre.
Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Mason) Italy 7th to 9th October To open the British Shopping Week in Florence.
Minister of State, Board of Trade (Lord Brown) Paris 4th October To launch the Au Bon Marché store promotion of British goods.
Minister of State, Board of Trade (Lord Brown) Bucharest 14th to 17th October To open the British Agricultural and Construction Equipment Exhibition.
Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Darling) Paris 26th to 27th August Opening of British Consumer Goods Promotion at the Galeries Lafayette.
Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Darling) Czechoslovakia 12th to 16th September Trade promotion visit, including tour of Brno International Trade Fair.
Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Darling) Austria 16th to 18th September Continuation of trade promotion visit, main reason being tour of the Vienna International Trade Fair.

Minister, etc. Place/Countries Visited Dates of Visits Purpose of Visits
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Development Kenya 24th September to 6th October To attend a Conference on Education, Employment and Rural Development; to discuss the British aid programme; to visit land settlement and development schemes which are receiving British aid.
Minister of Transport U.S.A 10th to 22nd October To study new transport development in the U.S.A., particularly the technological progress in the use of containers for freight traffic and in rapid transit systems for conurbations.
Secretary of State for the Colonies The Pacific Territories, Hong Kong and Australia 29th July to 3rd September The purpose of the visit is set out in the Official Report for the 11th August, 1966, Col. 373–4.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Colonies Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and the Seychelles 26th September to 25th October To attend the independence celebrations and, in Swaziland, to have discussions with the Governor.
Minister of Social Security Stockholm 11th to 13th October To discuss with the Swedish Minister of Health and Social Affairs and others, the policy and administrative considerations underlying the Swedish schemes of social security
Minister of Aviation France 17th to 21st September To discuss the Concord project and to visit the factory. He also visited the Breguet works at Toulouse.
Minister of Public Building and Works Far East 19th September to 3rd October To see how his Department could best and most economically meet the building needs of the armed forces and the diplomatic and consular services in the area.
Attorney-General Rhodesia 18th to 28th September To acquaint the Governor, etc., and people of Rhodesia with the views of H.M.G. and of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meeting