– Scottish Parliament written question – answered at on 16 December 2008.
Mike Rumbles
Liberal Democrat
Question S3W-14648
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the First Minister has left Scotland on official business since 16 May 2007, also showing the number of people who accompanied him on each occasion and (a) the purpose, (b) total cost and (c) who paid for each visit.
Linda Fabiani
Scottish National Party
The First Minister left Scotland 20 times on official business from 16 May 2007 to 3 July 2008. Please see following details. Costs are those associated with the First Minister and include transport and accommodation.
| Location | Date | Purpose | Support | First Minister Cost | Who paid |
| Belfast | 18-19 June 2007 | Speech to MLAs and meeting with FM and DFM of Northern Ireland | 3 | £487.15 | Scottish Government |
| Brussels | 11 July 2007 | Reception for Brussels stakeholders and Passchendaele memorial service with Her Majesty the Queen | 4 | £1335.69 | Scottish Government |
| Belfast | 15-16 July 2007 | British Irish Council | 3 | £327.06 | Scottish Government |
| London | 24-26 July 2007 | Dual Mandate. FM business : Taking Oath | 1 | SG costs: £619.66 | MP Warrant and Scottish Government |
| USA | 10-13 October 2007 | Promotion of Scotland as an attractive location for investment | 2 | £6349.84 | Scottish Government |
| Sri Lanka | 5-12 November 2007 | Commonwealth Games 2012 bid | 3 | £3912.50 | Scottish Government |
| London | 18-19 November 2007 | Queen’s Diamond Wedding Celebrations | 1 | £1023.86 | Scottish Government |
| London | 26-27 November 2007 | Interview with Andrew Neil, Political Studies Awards and First Ministerial meetings | 1 | £594.31 | Scottish Government |
| Dublin | 13-14 February 2008 | British Irish Council | 3 | £182.72 | Scottish Government |
| London | 26-27 February 2008 | Dual Mandate. FM business : International Press Briefing | 2 | SG Cost: £606.70 | MP Warrant and Scottish Government |
| London | 5-6 March 2008 | Dual Mandate. FM business: Meeting with Peter Ricketts | 1 | SG Cost: £416.63 | MP Warrant and Scottish Government |
| London | 13-14 March 2008 | Appearing on Question Time | 1 | £965.11 | Scottish Government |
| USA | 30 March - 6 April 2008 | Scotland Week | 4 | £6915.27 | Scottish Government |
| Brussels | 23 April 2008 | European Seafood Expo | 1 | £1607.31 | Scottish Government |
| London | 28-29 April 2008 | Dual Mandate. FM business : Meeting with the Prime Minister and dinner with Russian Ambassador | 2 | SG Cost: £499.92 | MP Warrant and Scottish Government |
| Manchester | 14 May 2008 | UEFA Cup Final | 1 | £115.90 | Scottish Government |
| Belfast | 4 June 2008 | Opening Stena line terminal | 1 | £33.46 | Scottish Government |
| London | 11 June 2008 | Dual Mandate. FM business : Meeting with John Hutton | 1 | SG costs: £160.70 | MP Warrant and Scottish Government |
| London | 25 June 2008 | Joint Ministerial Committee | 1 | £572.05 | Scottish Government |
| London | 2-3 July 2008 | Dual Mandate. FM business : Meeting with Sir Michael Lyons of the BBC | 1 | SG costs: £257.23 | MP Warrant and Scottish Government |
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
