HC Deb 30 November 1995 vol 267 cc820-1W
Mr. Redmond

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list for each of his executive agencies for the last financial year in respect of overseas travel by agency staff(a) the costs of the travel(b) the countries visited and (c) the posts held by the staff concerned. [2285]

Mr. Jonathan Evans

The Court Service became an executive agency on 3 April 1995. Hence, for the financial year in question, the Lord Chancellor was responsible for three executive agencies—the Public Trust Office, Her Majesty Land Registry and the Public Record Office. The question concerns a specific matter on which the chief executives of those agencies are best placed to provide the answer and I have accordingly asked them to reply direct.

Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 30 November 1995: I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question requesting details in respect of overseas travel within the last financial year. I can provide the following information:

  1. (a) In the year 1994/95 the total expenditure on overseas travel by Land Registry staff was £8,084.
  2. (b) The countries visited were Switzerland, France, Belgium and South Africa.
  3. (c) The posts held by the six staff concerned were: Chief Land Registrar (Switzerland), Solicitor to HM Land Registry (France), Director of Information Technology and Head of Services, Computer Services (Belgium), Director of Corporate Services and Head of Development & Support, Computer Services (South Africa)
I do hope that this answers the points raised with the Parliamentary Secretary but please contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 30 November 1995: The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your Parliamentary Question, listed on 22 November 1995, regarding the cost of overseas travel made by agency staff in the last financial year, including the posts held by the staff concerned and the countries visited. There was no overseas travel on official business by any member of the Public Trust Office during 1994/95.

Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 30 November 1995: I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply for the Public Record Office to your question about (a) the costs of travel, (b) the countries visited, and (c) the posts held by the staff concerned, in respect of overseas travel by agency staff for the last financial year. The answers are:

  1. (a) £7708.
  2. (b) Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, and the United States of America.
  3. (c) The Keeper of Public Records; the Director of Corporate Services; the Manager of the NewPRO programme and two of his staff; the Head of Preservation Services; a Government Services Inspection and Documentation Officer; the Publications Manager; a Reader Services Department Team Leader and the Head of Map Section.