Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the (a) number and (b) destinations of all domestic flights taken by officials in her Department in each of the last 5 years.

All departmental travel is undertaken using efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Domestic flights within the UK allow departmental representatives to visit more parts of the UK in the time available and reduce the need for overnight accommodation. Defra staff are based all over the UK and not just centred on London.

Defra’s Travel and Subsistence Policy states that air travel between locations on mainland England, Wales and Scotland is not permitted unless approval by exception is granted by a director and approval email should be attached to the claim.

Many of the destinations listed in the answer involve a flight over water. The alternative journey of using trains and ferries would often take significantly longer.

The following table sets out the number of domestic flights in each of the last five years along with the corresponding destinations.