§ Mr. Allan RobertsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence which hon. Members attended the defence visit to Norway on 31 January; and on what basis they were selected.
§ Mr. NeubertThe Ministry of Defence has an agreement with the Government and Opposition defence Whips whereby they nominate hon. Members to go on official defence visits, following advertisement in the All-Party Whip. Those who went to Norway were nominated in accordance with this practice.
§ Mr. Allan RobertsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many overseas visits his Department has arranged in the last two years for hon. Members; and at what cost.
§ Mr. NeubertTen official visits overseas have been arranged for hon. Members over the last two years. In the same time, the Defence Select Committee has undertaken five trips overseas in connection with its official business
The second part of the question could only be answered at disproportionate cost and effort.
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§ Mr. Allan RobertsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all hon. Members who have participated in defence visits overseas in the past two years, stating which visits they have attended and to which political party they belong.
§ Mr. NeubertThe information requested is below. In addition to these visits a number of visits abroad were undertaken by the Defence Select Committee.
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Date and Location Visitors Party February 1987 Royal Marines Tim Wood Conservative Winter Deployment Dame Janet Fookes Conservative to Norway Frank Cook Labour Roger Gale Conservative Mark Wolfson Conservative March 1987 British Forces Tim Wood Conservative Cyprus Tony Marlow Conservative John Corrie Conservative Derek Conway Conservative Mike Woodcock Conservative Kevin McNamara Labour John McWilliam Labour Frank Haynes Labour April 1987 SHAPE Robert Atkins Conservative Frank Cook Labour Tom Cox Labour Hugh Dykes Conservative Sir Peter Emery Conservative Harry Greenway Conservative Ian Gow Conservative Sir Eldon Griffiths Conservative Jeremy Hanley Conservative Paul Marland Conservative Cyril Townsend Conservative Neville Trotter Conservative April 1987 British Forces Ivor Stanbrook Conservative Gibraltar Reg Prentice Conservative Sir Reginald Eyre Conservative Albert McQuarrie Conservative Dame Janet Fookes Conservative Bill Walker Conservative Robert Wareing Labour James Kilfedder UPUP November 1987 British Forces Bill Walker Conservative Falkland Islands Jack Aspinwall Conservative Tony Speller Conservative David Tredinnick Conservative Dale Campbell-Savours Labour Dr. John Marek Labour Gerry Steinberg Labour December 1987 BAOR and Martyn Jones Labour RAF Germany John McFall Labour Frank Cook Labour Marjorie Mowlam Labour John Cummings Labour Mark Wolfson Conservative Keith Mans Conservative Norman Miscampbell Conservative July 1988 BAOR and 2nd Sir Ian Lloyd Conservative Tactical Air Force Tim Devlin Conservative
Date and Location Visitors Party July 1988 SHAPE John Ward Conservative Headquarters Roger Moate Conservative Dame Janet Fookes Conservative Neville Trotter Conservative Alan Amos Conservative Sir Peter Emery Conservative Jacques Arnold Conservative Kenneth Hind Conservative Tony Marlow Conservative Sir Eldon Griffiths Conservative Dr. Goodson-Wickes Conservative Nicholas Bennett Conservative January 1989 NATO and SHAPE Norman Miscampbell Conservative Headquarters Sir John Stokes Conservative Tim Rathbone Conservative Martin Brandon-Bravo Conservative Bernie Grant Labour Dawn Primarolo labour John McFall Labour February 1989 Royal Marines Robert Jones Conservative Winter Deployment Andrew Mackay Conservative to Norway Roger Moate Conservative Norman Miscampbell Conservative John Battle Labour Harold McCusker UUP