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Written question asked by Joe Robertson (Conservative) on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 May 2026 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Monday, 18 May 2026. A substantive answer was provided by Simon Lightwood (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 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 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of the flight to Colombia; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

Answer

Having taken part in a week-long international negotiations event in the Dominican Republic, a member of the UK delegation at SEO grade travelled onwards to Colombia for a holiday before returning to the UK. The cost of this flight from the Dominican Republic to Colombia was £257.20.

The flight was booked through DfT’s travel agent, but the cost was reimbursed at the time of booking by the individual concerned and recorded internally as personal travel. Overall, the cost of this individual travelling outbound to the Dominican Republic but back from Columbia was less than it would have cost for them to fly to/from the Dominican Republic. These arrangements were agreed in advance by line management.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
862
Session
2026-27
Related items
Department for Transport: Aviation
Tuesday, 24 March 2026
Written questions
House of Commons
Department for Transport: Aviation
Monday, 13 July 2026
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Aviation Department for Transport
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk