Community Relations: ReligionMr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which places in the UK he visited in 2008 in connection with the Government's Preventing Violent Extremism strategy; on what dates he undertook the visits; what the estimated cost of such visits was for 2008; which towns or cities in the UK he plans to visit in 2009 in connection with Preventing Violent Extremism; what the cost is expected to be; and if he will make a statement. [249585]
Bill Rammell: During 2008 my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited the following areas: 28 May, Tower Hamlets; 25 July, Birmingham; 8 September, Birmingham; 21 November, Bradford. The cost of these visits was £24,802.78. In January the Foreign Secretary will visit Manchester. Further visits are being planned. 27 Jan 2009 : Column 387W
I have absolutely no objection to David Miliband making these visits - but at more than £6,200 a time?! How was he travelling - by teleporter?
13 comments:
How on earth can it amount to that!
I see why the labour party want to stop us seeing there expenses.
I would love to see the receipts on this just to see how they manage to wasted all that money.
Them's are expensive taxis.
This expense - which does seem pretty high - is nothing to do with the Labour Party Nic. Now is it? And what's more it has been made public.
If helicopters, hotels, retinues and full-on security were involved it is not hard to imagine this sort of cost being run up. I seem to recall a short visit from Brenda to MMU costing half a million pounds.
Chris you may be right it has nothing to do with the Labour Party as a hole but it duse raises questions about Mr Miliband and the foreign office spends tax payers money.
£6,200 is to much to spend on a trips from London to Birmingham for him and any one in public life. They need to spend taxpayer money responsibly and I can not see how you can justify spending £6,200 from London-Birmingham(return) is responsible. £3100 for 118miles what duse that come to when he gos to China?
You right agan Chris it has been made public but what I was saying is why the Labour goverment, before it was found out, planed to pass the disgraceful Draft Freedom of Information (Parliament) Order 2009 under the under the radar?
So David Miliband being a Labour MP and the Labour government trying to pass anti-transparency Laws has a lot to do with Labour Chris. Doesn't it?
Given it's The Preventing Violent Extremism tour you've got to hope the substantial cost isn't due to heavy security.
Don't forget the hidden costs of the opprobrium to my home town, Birmingham, of having had to endure a visit by Mr Miliband. Oh, the shame!
the obvious way to defray at least some of the costs would be to market a 'preventing violent extremism tour' tee shirt.
The answer is one word Iain. Helicopter.
Wonder what happened to the joined-up government approach to the environment?
Does his Highness really need to go everywhere by chopper?
"I seem to recall a short visit from Brenda to MMU costing half a million pounds."
Education, Education, Education.
If only Tony were in his grave, so he could spin there.
The Penguin.
If the cost for sending one Cabinet level minister (indeed one of the holders of a Great Office of State) out into the country is around £6,200 per time, how much does it cost when the PM, Cabinet and the whole circus and shooting-match hold their meetings other than in Downing Street?
Liverpool, Birmingham... what is the point of making the whole apparatus of the Executive travel to another part of the country for a meeting when they are all in London already. Seems illogical, pointless and llike a cynical "vote-grabbing" and, now we know, rather costly exercise in futility.
Could'nt he just get a local MP to report back to him on the situation on the ground. Not quite the same grandstanding opportunity but surely cheaper and more accurate. It's not as if those Labour backbenchers are doing much else.
Perhaps the honorable member for Montgomeryshire could lend him a self-balancing personal transporter. ;-)
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