Written question asked by Andrew Turner (Conservative) on Tuesday, 18 April 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 24 April 2006. It was answered by Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour) on Monday, 24 April 2006 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Queen's Flight

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of overnight accommodation for the crew of a BAe146 of The Queen's Flight at Sharm el Sheikh in December 2004; for how many crew and for how many nights such accommodation was required; and which Department met the cost.

Answer: Ministerial use of 32 (TR) Squadron is charged at an hourly rate calculated on an annual basis. This hourly rate includes a component covering aircrew accommodation, which is not recovered separately. The overall costs of the trip were included in the annual list of Cabinet Ministers' visits overseas for 2004–05 published in July 2005, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The Prime Minister's Office met the costs. Five crew members remained at Sharm el Sheikh for eight nights.

Secondary information