§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the visits outside Britain made by his Department's Permanent Secretary on official business since 1 January 1999, indicating the date and purpose of the visit in each case. [130489]
§ Mr. WillsMichael Bichard has made the following visits since 1 January 1999:
- 13–14 January 1999—Germany
- 18–19 February 1999—France
- 4–5 November 1999—Netherlands
- 25–26 November 1999—Finland
- 29 February 2000—USA.
In all cases the purpose was to exchange views on education and employment issues, including in the first three cases in the EU context.