§ Sir David SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost to public funds of the visit by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to Innerleithen, Tweeddale, on 26 April; what was the purpose of the visit; and what is the policy of Scottish Office Ministers in respect of notifying right hon. and hon. Members of visits to their constituencies. [28063]
§ Mr. Michael ForsythMy hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for industry and local government visited Peebles and Innerleithen in the right hon. Member's constituency on 25 April, not 26 April. He visited Clough Mill Ltd., Waverley Mills, Innerleithen with the chairman of Scottish Borders Enterprise as one of a number of engagements in the area. The cost of this element of the day's programme cannot be separately identified. My hon. Friend wrote to the right hon. Member on 26 March, as is the normal practice, to inform him that he would be carrying out ministerial engagements in his constituency; this particular engagement was added to the original programme at a late stage.