Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2022 to Question 100466 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Heathrow Airport, which dignitaries' movements through Heathrow Airport are covered by that contract; and for what reasons those dignitaries are not expected to cover the costs of using the VIP suites themselves.

Protocol Directorate of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has an annual contract with Heathrow VIP to manage the arrival and departure movements for foreign dignitaries visiting the United Kingdom at the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen or Her Majesty's Government.

The contract allows the FCDO to provide appropriate airport arrival and departure facilitation for senior dignitaries including Heads of State, Heads of Government or Foreign Ministers visiting the United Kingdom on State or Guest of Government visits. We have a duty not to put these visiting dignitaries at risk and using this service is the safest, most secure way of moving them through the airport. Provision of the VIP suite also allows for the dignitaries to be formally greeted at the airport at the start of their programmes. UK Ministers benefit from similar services when visiting other countries. The FCDO does not provide airport facilitation for Official Visits.