§ Mr. LansleyTo ask the Prime Minister if he will list the personnel who attended the European Council in Lisbon on 23 to 24 March, indicating their functions in each case. [117115]
§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 3 April 2000]: The composition of the United Kingdom Delegation was as follows:
- Myself
- The Chancellor of the Exchequer
- The Secretary of State for Foreign arid Commonwealth Affairs
- The Minister for Europe (Mr. Vaz).
In addition to HM Ambassador to Lisbon and the UK Permanent Representative to the European Union, the delegation comprised five No. 10 officials and one Special Adviser, six Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials, five HM Treasury officials and a single official from each of the Cabinet Office, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security. An official from the Northern Ireland Office also travelled with the delegation for my bilateral meeting in the margins of the Council with the Taioseach. A further British official attended the European Council in his capacity as President of the Economic Policy Committee.
Staff from the British Embassy. in Lisbon and UKREP Brussels provided further support to the Delegation. I, and my colleagues, were supported by the usual number of administrative, security and secure telecommunications staff associated with a visit abroad by the Prime Minister or a senior Cabinet Minister. This is in line with the practice adopted by previous Administrations.
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§ Mr. LansleyTo ask the Prime Minister using what mode of travel, and when,(a) he, (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (c) the Foreign Secretary returned to the UK from the European Council in Lisbon on 24 and 25 March. [117141]
§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 3 April 2000]: I returned to the UK by air on Friday 24 March 2000. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer returned to the UK by air on Thursday 23 March. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs accompanied his French counterpart on a French aircraft for a meeting in Paris on Friday 24 March and returned to London by air that evening.
All travel was undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Library.