HC Deb 06 July 1995 vol 263 cc360-3W
Mr. George Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list(a) details of all overseas trips made by him or ministerial colleagues in his Department paid for wholly or partly from public funds and (b) the purpose, destination and duration of such overseas trips, which officials accompanied him and the total cost in each case, including that of officials to public funds for each year since 1992. [32255]

Mr. Paice

The available information is given in the following table:

Record of Ministerial Overseas Travel04 July 1995
Date(s) of visit
Minister From To Country Purpose of visit Numbers in Delegation Expenditure £
Patrick McLoughlin 26/09/92 03/10/92 Japan Fact Finding Visit 2 15,823.00
Minister of State 27/09/92 02/10/92 U.S.A. Fact Finding Visit 2 13,143.00
Viscount Ullswater 18/11/92 20/11/92 Poland UK Know How Fund 2 1,501.00
Secretary of State/Minister of State 03/12/92 03/12/92 Belgium Social Affairs Council 8 2,240.00
Viscount Ullswater 01/04/93 08/04/93 U.S.A./Canada Fact Finding Visit 2 15,495.00
Secretary of State 05/04/93 06/04/93 Luxembourg Social Affairs Council 7 1,163.00
Secretary of State 30/04/93 30/04/93 France Social Affairs Bilateral 4 1,141.00
Minister of State 03/05/93 05/05/93 Denmark/Germany Social Affairs Bilateral 7 3,881.00
Secretary of State/Minister of State 31/05/93 01/06/93 Luxembourg Social Affairs Council 9 4,049.00
Minister of State 03/06/93 04/06/93 Hungary UK Know How Fund 2 2,387.00
Ann Widdecombe 09/06/93 10/06/93 Switzerland Conference 1 699.00
Secretary of State 25/07/93 30/07/93 U.S.A. Fact Finding Visit 4 21,977.00
Ann Widdecombe 01/09/93 03/09/93 Germany Fact Finding Visit 2 1,393.00
Secretary of State 03/09/93 03/09/93 Belgium Social Affairs Bilateral 3 1,016.49
Ann Widdecombe 08/09/93 10/09/93 Spain Fact Finding Visit 2 2,818.00
Secretary of State 13/09/93 23/09/93 Far East Tour Fact Finding Visit 3 20,195.00
Minister of State 13/09/93 14/09/93 Sweden Fact Finding Visit 2 1,019.00
Minister of State 20/09/93 21/09/93 Czech Rep/Slovakia Agreement Signing 3 6,208.32
Minister of State/Miss Widdecombe 22/09/93 24/09/93 Belgium Informal Social Affairs Council 3 1,688.00
Minister of State 24/09/93 01/10/93 Australia Fact Finding Visit 3 14,807.00
Secretary of State 29/09/93 29/09/93 Netherlands Social Affairs Bilateral 2 773.00
Secretary of State/Minister of State 11/10/93 12/10/93 Luxembourg Social Affairs Council 8 4,030.82
Lord Henley 19/10/93 19/10/93 Belgium Conference Council Of Europe 1 434.00
Minister of State 28/10/93 29/10/93 Malta Meeting 2 5,279.07
Secretary of State/Minister of State 22/11/93 23/11/93 Belgium Social Affairs Council Symposium on Older 8 3,230.29
Ann Widdecombe 16/12/93 16/12/93 Ireland Workers 2 942.50
Secretary of State 22/02/94 22/02/94 Germany Social Affairs Bilateral 3 863.79
Secretary of State 01/03/94 01/03/94 France Social Affairs Bilateral Informal Social Affairs 3 1,352.48
Minister of State 09/03/94 11/03/94 Greece Council 2 2,321.24
Secretary of State 09/03/94 09/03/94 Italy Social Affairs Bilateral 2 1,433.05
Secretary of State 10/03/94 16/03/94 U.S.A./Canada G7 Jobs Conference 6 21,011.75
Ann Widdecombe 05/04/94 07/04/94 Bulgaria Fact Finding Visit 3 2,705.59
Minister of State 18/04/94 19/04/94 Belgium Social Affairs Council 6 2,718.80
Secretary of State 07/06/94 08/06/94 France and Italy OECD/Bilateral 2 1,070.98
Minister of State 09/06/94 10/06/94 Switzerland ILO Conference 1 914.72
Secretary of State/Minister of State 21/06/94 22/06/94 Luxembourg Social Affairs Council Informal Social Affairs 9 4,534.67
Minister of State 08/07/94 09/07/94 Germany Council 2 1,023.51
Secretary of State 05/09/94 05/09/94 France/Italy Social Affairs Bilateral 4 3,460.23
Secretary of State 12/09/94 12/09/94 Belgium Social Affairs Bilateral 3 904.03
Minister of State 15/09/94 15/09/94 Germany Conference 3 1,316.10
Secretary of State/Minister of State 21/09/94 22/09/94 Belgium Social Affairs Council 7 3,063.60
James Paice 03/10/94 05/10/94 Sweden Fact Finding Visit 2 1,594.21
Minister of State 03/10/94 04/10/94 Norway/Finland Social Affairs Bilateral 3 2,200.00
Minister of State 17/10/94 17/10/94 Austria Conference 1 2,036.53
Secretary of State 07/11/94 08/11/94 Portugal Fact Finding Visit 4 2,513.50
Minister of State 16/11/94 17/11/94 Czech Republic UK Know How Fund 3 2,400.94
Secretary of State 21/11/94 21/11/94 France OECD/Bilateral 4 1,617.52
Minister of State 25//11/94 25/11/94 Italy Social Affairs Bilateral 3 2,188.50
Secretary of State/Minister of State 05/12/94 06/12/94 Belgium Social Affairs Council 10 5,159.69
Minister of State 21/12/94 21/12/94 Belgium Social Affairs Council 7 2,805.41
Secretary of State 23/01/95 23/01/95 Belgium Social Affairs Council 8 2,351.37
Secretary of State 28/01/95 30/01/95 Switzerland Conference 0 422.78
James Paice 02/03/95 03/03/95 France Conference 2 972.52
Minister of State 21/03/95 21/03/95 Ireland Social Affairs Bilateral 2 939.00
Secretary of State/Minister of State 26/03/95 27/03/95 Belgium Social Affairs Council 6 3,873.72
Secretary of State/Minister of State 29/03/95 30/03/95 France Conference 4 1,963.41
Record of Ministerial Overseas Travel04 July 1995
Date(s) of visit
Minister From To Country Purpose of visit Numbers in Delegation Expenditure £
Minister of State 09/04/95 13/04/95 Hungary/Poland UK Know How Fund 2 2,820.08
Minister of State 08/06/95 09/06/95 Switzerland ILO Conference 1 1245.23
Secretary of State/Minister of State 28/06/95 29/06/95 Luxembourg Social Affairs Council 8 4,686.27
1 Final costs of this visit not yet brought to account.

Notes on Office Holders:

Secretary of State:

April 1992—May 1993: Mrs. Shepherd.

May 1993—July 1994: Mr. Hunt.

July 1994—to date: Mr. Portillo.

Minister of State:

April 1992—July 1994: Mr. Forsyth.

July 1994—to date: Miss Widdecombe.