The costs for foreign travel (in each year since 1997) are not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts without incurring disproportionate costs.
The Department has published rules for official travel in its staff handbook, and all travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the “Civil Service Management Code”. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government also published annually the cost of all Ministers visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House and they report information for the financial years 1995-96 to 2005-06. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the “Ministerial Code” and “Travel by Ministers”, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.