§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Health 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 them and the total cost to public funds in each case, including that of officials for each year since 1992. [32254]
§ Mr. SackvilleI refer the hon. Member to the reply that the then Minister for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Dr. Mawhinney), gave the hon. Member for Newport, East (Mr. Hughes) on 3 November 1994,Official Report, columns 222–24, for information covering the period April 1992 to mid-October 1993.
1275WInformation on the dates, destinations and purpose of visits made by my right hon. Friend and ministerial colleagues since 14 October 1993 is shown in the table. The total cost of overseas travel by Ministers and private secretaries in each financial year is also shown.
Information on officials accompanying Ministers could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
1276W
Date Destination Purpose FINANCIAL YEAR APRIL 1993 TO MARCH 1994 Minister of State for Health—Dr. Mawhinney 7–15 November 1993 USA Fact finding visit in connection with Ministerial responsibilities 13 December 1993 Brussels EC Health Council Total spend for 7th November to March 1994 £4,653 FINANCIAL YEAR APRIL 1994—MARCH 1995 Secretary of State for Health 17–18 November 1994 Brussels To address OECD High Level Conference of National Experts on Health Reform 1 December 1994 Paris World AIDS Summit 21–22 December 1994 Brussels EC Health Council 13–17 March 1995 Japan Trade Mission to promote inward investment (Prescribe UK) Minister of State for Health—Dr. Mawhinney 4 March 1994 Dublin Meeting with Irish Health Minister 30 March 1994 Brussels EC Health Council—Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) meeting 19 June 1994 Helsinki European Conference on environmental health Parliamentary Under Secretary of State— Mr. Bowis OBE 3 February 1994 Strasburg European Council Meeting on Drugs 13 May 1994 Rhodes Island Greek Presidency Conference on heart disease 2 June 1994 Luxembourg EC Health Council 30 June 1994 Amsterdam EC Health Council 18–24 September 1994 Amsterdam; Germany; Hungary Fact finding visit on Child care, drug abuse,a nd AIDS. Also signing Health Co-operation plan in Hungary 1 January 1995 Lebanon Council for Advancement in Arab British Understanding Parliamentary Under Secretary of State— Baroness Cumberlege CBE 3–4 May 1995 Geneva World Health Assembly 17–18 June 1994 Paris AIDS Summit Total annual spend £20,507 FINANCIAL YEAR APRIL 1995 TO DATE Secretary of State for Health 2–3 May 1995 Geneva World Health Assembly 29 May-2 June 1995 USA Fact finding visit in connection with Ministerial responsibilities Parliamentary Under Secretary of State— Mr. Bowis OBE 1–2 June 1995 Luxembourg EC Health Council 22 June 1995 Copenhagen European Social Services Conference
Date Destination Purpose Parliamentary Under Secretary of State— Mr. Sackville 25–28 April Hamburg; Hanover; Dresden Trade mission to promote health exports Total spend to end May 1995 £17,710