Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to her Department’s declarations of ministerial travel, whether the share of the travel costs attributed to ministers using (a) private charter planes or (b) RAF flights is calculated by dividing the overall costs of each plane by the total number of ministers and officials on board.

Foreign travel is a 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.