§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list each of the overseas trips made by herself and other members of her ministerial team since 2 May, specifying in each case(a) the participating Minister of Ministers, (b) the destination of the trip, (c) the purpose of the trip and (d) the cost of the trip; and if she will make a statement.[15212]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 11 November 1997]DTI Ministers have undertaken the following visits since taking office on 2 May. In respect of the cost estimates, those relating to more recent visits may incur some additional charges which have not yet been booked to the Department.
105W
£ President of the Board of Trade 25–28 May Japan Inward Investment and Trade Promotion 29,150 15–16 June Paris Attend Airbus Ministerial Meeting and Paris Airshow 830 01 July Brussels Meeting with EU Commissioner Van Miert 850 10–11 September Washington DC Trade Policy 15,320 13 October Brussels Meetings with Commissioners Wulf-Mathies and Bangemann 960 12–13 November Brussels Attend Industry Council 1,170 Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe: Lord Simon of Highbury 20–21 May Brussels Attend Internal Market Council 750 25–26 May Amsterdam European Round Table 710 3–5 September Germany and Austria Series of bilaterals with European Counterparts 1,320 3–4 October Luxembourg Attend Internal Market Council 860 Minister for Small Firms Trade and Industry: Barbara Roche 5–6 June Munich, Germany Attend Bavarian Innovation and Research Fair 1,160 15–20 June Brazil Trade Promotion 12,780 26–27 June Luxembourg and Brussels Attend Telecoms Council 810 17 July Brussels Meeting with EU Commissioner for Small Firms 430 10–11 September Hanover, Germany Speak at Machine Tools and Technologies Exhibition 1,170 Minister for Trade: Lord Clinton-Davis 16–19 May New York and Trade Promotion Washington DC 11,480 25–26 May Paris OECD Ministerial 1,830 14–19 June South Africa Trade Promotion 9,570 21–27 June Thailand and Malaysia Trade Promotion 11,650 20–21 July France Trade Promotion and Trade Policy 1,040 24–25 July Ireland Trade Promotion and Trade Policy 560 9–17 September Argentina and Chile Trade Promotion 15,050 21–29 September Korea/Japan Trade Promotion and ASEM 18,760 15 October Paris Trade Promotion '300 17–22 October Indonesia Trade Promotion 13,320
£ Minister for Science Energy and Industry: John Battle 15 May Brussels EU Research Council 850 26 May Brussels Energy Council 980 31 May Azerbaijan Caspian Oil and Gas Show 3,500 17 June Paris Air Show 770 7 July Bonn Information Society Conference 960 27 October Luxembourg Energy Council 1.02 9 November Brussels Research Council 1,030 Minister of State: Ian McCartney 26–27 June Luxembourg Social Affairs Council 1,280 4–6 July Luxembourg EC Business (Informal Social Affairs Council) 850 7 October Luxembourg Social Affairs Council 1,110 9–10 November Austria UK Presidency Bilateral 1,310 Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs: Nigel Griffiths 22–29 June Antwerp and Athens Attend Institute of Trading Standards Conference 1,800 24–27 September Luxembourg and Paris Attend UK Industry Travel and Tour Conference 1,220 16–19 October Stockholm Meetings with EU Consumer Ministers 1,080 30 October—4 November Madrid La Palma Tenerife Brussels Visiting EU Consumer Ministers Visiting Observatory Attending ABTA Convention Attending EU Consumer Council 1,920 1 A notional cost representing a share of the cost the Department paid for a train to Paris for the whole UK business delegation.