§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the final UK delegation who attended the Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference at Halifax in November. [142849]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 18 December 2000]: The delegation was led by Mr. Jack McConnell, Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs in the Scottish Parliament. It had 15 members, eight from the UK and seven from British overseas territories. Others were: Ms Gabriella Pieraccini, private secretary to Jack McConnell; Ms Elizabeth Williamson, Scottish Executive Education Department; Mr. Robert Mace, DfEE; Mr. John Aslen, DfEE; Ms Myra Harrison, DfID; Sir Tim Lankester, Deputy Chair, British Council; Mr. Geoffrey Caston, Chair, Commonwealth Scholarships Commission; the Honourable Milton Scott, Minister of Education, Bermuda; Ms Michelle Khaldun, permanent secretary to Mr. Scott; Ms Constance McHardy, Chief Education Officer, Bermuda; the Honourable J. A. Bodden, Minister of Education, Cayman Islands; Ms Joy Basdeo, permanent secretary to Mr. Bodden; the Honourable Clarence W. Selver, Minister of Education, Turks and Caicos Islands; and Mr. Oliver Mills, permanent secretary to Mr. Selver.
I was also planning to attend but had to withdraw because of parliamentary business.