Written question asked by David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party) on Friday, 16 October 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 20 October 2009. It was answered by Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Labour) on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 on behalf of the Treasury.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on overnight accommodation for (a) Ministers and (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Answer: The requested information is not available, as the Treasury's accounting system does not record accommodation costs separately from subsistence spending.Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

Secondary information