§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003(a) departmental and (b) non-departmental special advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [126665]
§ Margaret BeckettBetween 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003, Defra special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity on 12 occasions at an average cost of approximately £2,179 per trip. The countries visited were Belgium, Luxembourg, France, South Africa, Indonesia, USA, Canada and India.
All travel by special advisers is undertaken fully in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.