HC Deb 30 November 1995 vol 267 cc830-3W
Mr. Redmond

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 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. [2284]

Mr. Willetts

As this concerns a purely operational matter, I have asked the chief executives of the agencies concerned to write direct to the hon. Member.

Letter from R. N. Edwards to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 22 November 1995: There has been no overseas travel on behalf of the Chessington Computer Centre by any of its staff during the last financial year.

Letter from Craig Muir to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 29 November 1995: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 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."

  1. (a) £579.34
  2. (b) United States of America
  3. (c) Director of Business Development.

Letter from Mike Devereau to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 November 1995: I have been asked to reply, in respect of the Central Office of Information, to your question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster about overseas travel. COI staff of all grades make many visits in the course of providing services to other departments from whom costs are recovered. For example radio technicians support overseas visits by senior ministers, film marketing specialists attend sales conferences and managers travel with touring exhibitions. The cost in 1994–95 was £65.078. The countries visited were:

  • Albania
  • Azerbaijan
  • Austria
  • Bangladesh
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia
    • 831
  • Brazil
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Egypt
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece (Corfu)
  • Holland
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Luxembourg
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Poland
  • Russia
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Serbia
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • USA

Letter from Mike Lynn to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 November 1995: I have been asked to reply, in respect of HMSO, to your question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster about overseas visits. I should explain that HMSO is a trading organisation which buys and sells outside the UK, and participates in international conferences and exhibitions associated with our goods and services. The details requested are as follows:

  1. (a) The recorded cost of overseas travel during the last financial year was £66,000.
  2. (b) Countries visited
    • Turkey
    • Luxembourg
    • Norway
    • Sweden
    • Thailand
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines
    • Italy
    • Belgium
    • Poland
    • Cyprus
    • Sri Lanka
    • Singapore
    • Spain
    • USA
      • 832
    • Germany
    • Austria
    • India
    • Holland
    • Japan
    • France
  3. (c) Staff concerned
    • Chief Executive
    • Deputy Chief Executive
    • Export Sales Manager
    • Export Sales Executive
    • European Liaison Manager
    • Translator
    • International Security Print Executive
    • Press Manager
    • Technical Director
    • Research Analysts
    • Sales Executives
    • Senior Buyer
    • Designer
    • Director Purchasing
    • Head of Paper Purchasing
    • Paper Negotiator Manager
    • Distribution Director
    • Research Manager

Letter from S. H. F. Hickey to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 November 1995: The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has asked me to reply for the Civil Service College to your Question about overseas travel by Agency staff. The cost of overseas travel and subsistence in the 1994/95 financial year was £92,078. The countries visited are listed in the annex to this letter. The staff concerned were myself, Business Group Directors and teaching and consultancy staff. There was some travel to international conferences, often to present papers, but the large majority of the expenditure was in connection with fee-earning business, primarily in the area of promulgating the UK experience of public sector reform. For example, we have had major contracts for supporting public sector reform in Southern Africa and Eastern Europe.

  • Countries visited by CSC Staff in 1994/95
  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • Cyprus
  • Eire
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Holland
  • Hungary
  • Italy
  • Lebanon
  • Luxembourg
  • Namibia
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Poland
  • Rumania
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • The Czech Republic
  • USA
  • Zimbabwe

Letter from E. C. McCloy to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 24 November 1995: Your written question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has been referred for me to reply on behalf of this Agency. During 1994/95 there was no expenditure on travel overseas by any member of Agency staff.