§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list(a) the number of officials by rank and grade and (b) the number of 147W consultants attending the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, giving details of their class of travel and the total budgeted cost of the delegation.
§ Mr. MacleanThe United Kingdom delegation will consist of the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for the Environment, the Minister for Overseas Development, myself, and 25 officials from DOE, FCO, ODA, DTI. and the Forestry Commission. Official gradings are:
Number Senior grade 8 Counsellor/equivalent 5 First secretary/equivalent 11 Third secretary 1 In addition, there are five members of the delegation attached to our diplomatic posts in Brazil. Their gradings are:
Number Senior grade 1 Counsellor 1 First secretary 1 Second secretary 2 Eight junior support staff will also attend the conference, as well as 12 NGO observers who will form part of the United Kingdom delegation.
The staff involved will he needed to service not only the plenary sessions of the conference but also the specialised sectoral working groups that will be set up and where much of the detailed negotiating will be done. So far eight informal working groups have been convened and others will be assembled if' necessary. Other staff are required to provide office support facilities and to liaise wih the local authorities over such matters as transport and security.
Ministers, their private secretaries and the ambassadors to the United Nations and to Brazil will travel first class; all other delegates will travel club class. The estimated cost of the delegation's travel and subsistence, including hotel costs will be about £190,000. NGOs will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses.
The estimated total administrative cost of the conference, inlcuding office facilities, transport and communications will be about £500,000.