§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on what occasions Ministers in his Department have made journeys by aeroplane funded by third parties since 1 May 1997. [66464]
§ Ms Glenda Jackson[holding answer 18 January 1999]: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has made five such journeys: to address the joint Conference of the North West Regional Association and North West Partnership in Windermere; to visit a Freight Distribution Centre in the Midlands; to open the extension to Humberside Airport; to tour the P&O container port in Southampton and to visit Norwich Airport and Felixstowe Port. My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment, made two journeys: one to deliver the key note speech at the Institute of Wastes Management conference in Plymouth and the other as part of the International Marine Biodiversity Workshop in Jamaica. My hon. Friend the Minister for the Regions, Regeneration and Planning made two journeys: one to tour Great Yarmouth regeneration projects and the other on a fact finding tour of a quarry. My hon. Friend the Minister for London and Construction also made two such journeys: a tour of Barking Reach housing development and a fact finding visit to a quarry.
I visited the General Lighthouse Authority's Pharos Lightship ship and in addition, I visited Australia in September 1998, not in my Ministerial capacity, to speak 342W to and meet women's organisations interested in increasing the participation of women in Parliament and public life. My visit, including travel costs, was sponsored by Emily's List of Australia as recorded in the Parliamentary Register of Members' Interests. While in Australia, I attended a number of meetings in my official capacity, including an International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled People.