HC Deb 09 July 1987 vol 119 c206W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Prime Minister if she will give the total cost of her recent visit to the Venice conference and the number of hours she spent there.

The Prime Minister

The estimated cost of my visit to the world economic summit conference in Venice with the official party from my office is £5,500. I spent 17½ hours in Venice.

Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Prime Minister what proposals she made at Venice for concerted action to bring down unemployment; and what action was agreed upon to monitor and combat unemployment.

The Prime Minister

The Venice summit conference confirmed the need for sound finance to support non-inflationary growth. Those are the policies which in the United Kingdom have helped create the conditions for six years of growth averaging nearly 3 per cent. a year. more than a million new jobs since 1983 and, for the past 11 months, falling unemployment. I was also encouraged that the Venice summit agreed on the need for surplus and deficit countries to take action to correct their imbalances.