Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what cost benefit analysis her Department conducted before the making decision to charter a private jet to Australia; and if she will publish that analysis.

Foreign travel is vital part of diplomacy. The work that ministers do overseas ultimately delivers for the British people. We have three government planes for Government business. They are used by the Prime Minister and Ministers for precisely this purpose. This is standard practice and in the national interest.

Every government decision is based on value for money. In accordance with the Ministerial Code, the FCDO publishes the costs related to all overseas Ministerial travel as part of the Quarterly Transparency Return.