Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the flights listed to the Dominican Republic in WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each such visit; which Ministers or senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the total cost was of each visit; and what assessment was made of whether those engagements could be conducted remotely or combined with other travel.

On one occasion, a Grade 7 travelled to the Dominican Republic at a cost of £1,123.42, in line with departmental policy, to attend and present at a regional event on management of airspace over or nearby to conflict zones. The event covered North America, South America and Caribbean regions and was arranged by the UN aviation body, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), with key input from the UK, Canada and Spain. The event achieved its primary high-level goal of assisting delivery of an awareness session in each region globally, while also delivering a clear security benefit. Participation in this activity supports the strengthening of international airspace management standards, promotes the consistent application of agreed airspace and risk management best practice, and contributes directly to safer and more secure global aviation operations. UK expertise is significant in this area and is highly valued by international partners, strengthening international capability to mitigate risks, including those potentially faced by UK airlines or citizens.

On a separate occasion, the Department for Transport’s International Aviation Negotiations Team attended the International Civil Aviation Negotiation Event (ICAN) hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). ICAN 2025 was hosted in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Dominican Republic and therefore held in the Dominican Republic.

Officials met with foreign governments to update and further liberalise the UK’s portfolio of air service agreements - the treaties that underpin the legal basis for flights to and from the UK. ICAN provides a central forum to conduct bilateral air services negotiations and consultations with other ICAO member states over the course of a week. The event was attended by six officials, including a Grade 6, a Grade 7, three SEOs and an EO. Six officials allowed for multiple bilateral negotiations to happen concurrently, resulting in meetings with 30 countries. ICAN is a primarily in-person event, with delegations from over 80 ICAO member states in attendance.

The total cost of the flights was £6,277.10 and was approved by Ian Elston, Deputy Director in the Department for Transport, in line with departmental policy. An assessment was made that the benefits to the UK economy through this work outweighed the cost of the sending a delegation to the event. There is an additional entry in the spreadsheet from WPQ 120039, relating to one Grade 6’s travel. This has been mis-recorded and is a duplication of previously stated travel.