Written question asked by Greg Smith (Conservative) on Thursday, 14 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 20 May 2026 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Wednesday, 20 May 2026. A substantive answer was provided by Simon Lightwood (Labour) on Friday, 19 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Department for Transport: Aviation

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Qatar; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether she assessed the potential merits of (a) conducting the engagements remotely and (b) combining the engagements with other travel.

Answer

The Department for Transport (DfT) undertakes essential international work each year, including aviation and maritime security operations, and direct engagement with other countries and international bodies. While a significant proportion of DfT’s international activity is conducted remotely, in person visits are also necessary to deliver effective engagement and technical assistance, particularly in an operational environment. The visits to Qatar were programmed to support DfT’s ongoing international activity.

The purpose, number and grade of officials who travelled and the cost of each visit (flight and hotel costs) is set out in the table below:

Date	Purpose	Officials	Cost
13^th January 2025	Participation in International Civil Aviation Organisation working group.	1 Grade 6 1 SEO	£2593.68
15^th January 2025	Transfer journey via Qatar for Maritime Security Officer travelling back from a conference in the Philippines. This covers the Doha-London sector of the flights only.	1 SEO	£173.95
31^st January and 1^st February 2025	Maritime Security Capacity Development activity. (this was cancelled due to engagement issues)	2 SEO	Activity cancelled, costs after refund £730
17^th and 18^th Feb 2025	Aviation Security Training delivery. This includes two DfT approved third party trainers, and one official.	2 HEO-equivalents and 1 EO	£4051.54
11^th April 2025	Participation in the International Civil Aviation Organisation Facilitation Conference and working group.	1 Grade 7	£1256.95
16^th April 2025	Transfer journey for Aviation Security staff and a dependent, returning from overseas posting.	2 SEO	£623.70
1^st October 2025	Qatar element of international engagement visit to the Gulf region, including Global Rail conference and engagement with Qatari stakeholders.	1 HEO 1 SCS PB1	£1883.96

All visits were approved by a Senior Civil Servant in DfT, in line with departmental policy. Where possible, visits have been combined with other official travel.

As part of the planning process for each visit, consideration was given to whether the engagement could be conducted remotely. While some preparatory and follow‑up activity was undertaken virtually, it was not possible to conduct these visits fully remotely.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 1251
Session: 2026-27
Related items: Department for Transport: Aviation
Tuesday, 24 March 2026
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Aviation Department for Transport Qatar
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Department for Transport: Aviation

Secondary information

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