§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times since 2001 he has taken flights on departmental duties in the UK; how many of these were(a) charter flights, (b) first or club class and (c) by helicopter; and who accompanied him on each trip. [95389]
§ Mr. Hutton[pursuant to the answer, 12 February 2003, Official Report, c. 820W]: I regret that the previous response the hon. Member received was incorrect. The response should have read as follows:
According to available information Ministers in the Department of Health made the following flights within the UK between 2001 and February 2003.My right hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State (Mr. Milburn) made one business class return flight, three single business class flights and one single premium economy flight. He was accompanied by one private secretary and one special adviser on four occasions.I made four business class return flights and two single business class flights. I was accompanied by one private secretary on three occasions.My noble Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath) made two return business class flights.In her capacity as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend, the Member for Salford (Ms Blears) made one business class return flight and six single business class flights. She was accompanied by one private secretary on three occasions.In her capacity as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, my hon. Friend, the Member for Salford (Ms Blears) made three business class return flights and six single business class flights. She was accompanied by one private secretary on two occasions.In his capacity as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr. Lammy) made three business class return flights and two single business class flights. On four occasions he was accompanied by one private secretary and by two private secretaries on one occasion.In her capacity as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) made one business class return flight and was accompanied by one private secretary.In his capacity as Minister of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Southampton Itchen (Mr. Denham) made one business class return flight and was accompanied by one private secretary.In her capacity as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Edgbaston (Ms Stuart) made one single business class flight.All travel was undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Library.