§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people will accompany him at public expense on his forthcoming trip to Bali; and what the total cost of the visit will be. [57655]
The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of StateI will not attend the Bali Preparatory Conference and have never intended to. This is a matter for the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who will lead the delegation in the normal way as I explained to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale at Cabinet Office questions on 22 May,Official Report, column 282.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs estimated the cost of the UK delegation to be approximately £180,000, inclusive of air fares, hotel rooms, subsistence and office accommodation. This figure represents less than half of the total cost incurred in responding to questions tabled by the hon. Member since the 2001 election.
672WIt has not been possible to itemise the amount of funding for each observatory, given the mix of funding from different sources. Government Office of the Region contributions have been in staff time rather than financial contribution and the table includes estimates. Some of the expenditure would have been incurred in any case by the various sponsor organisations.