§ Mr. LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the(a) itinerary, (b) cost and (c) purpose of his visit to (i) Nigeria and (ii) Sierra Leone in the week beginning 12 June.[126547]
§ Mr. Prescott[holding answer 19 June 2000]: I visited Nigeria and Sierra Leone at the request of the Prime Minister from 11–15 June in order to enhance bilateral relations, encourage UK business and thank the service men and women leaving Sierra Leone as well as visiting those who have just arrived.
I visited Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Freetown. In Nigeria I was accompanied by a business team and met the President, Vice-President and other Ministers as well as religious leaders, NGOs and British and Nigerian business leaders.
In Sierra Leone I met the President, Vice-President and Foreign Secretary and the Mayor and other civic leaders of Freetown. I also visited HMS Ocean and met service men and women from the Royal Marines, the Royal Navy, the Royal Naval Reserve and 2 Royal Anglian, who are providing the Short Term Training Team, as well as members of other armed services.
The cost of my visit to Nigeria was approximately £5,500. For security reasons I flew to Sierra Leone with the RAF. The cost was approximately £24,000.