---

Stolen Equipment

Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of

20 Mar 2002 : Column 364W

24 January 2002, Official Report, column 1071W, on stolen equipment, whether the computer equipment stolen from her Department was (a) new and unused and (b) used; and what was the nature of the data stored on such items in each case. [42639]

Ms Hewitt: The following table identifies whether the IT equipment identified as stolen from my Department in my previous answer was new or used. In addition and where known, the table also shows the nature of the data held on the stolen equipment.

Date	Description	New/used	Data status
1997
20 May	Laptop	Used	Powerpoint presentation
22 May	Laptop	Used	Notes of meetings
6 June	Laptop	Used	Routine data
16 June	Laptop	Used	Routine notes
21 August	Modem	Used	Device does not store data
2 September	Modem	Used	Device does not store data
27 September	Laptop	Used	Non DTI equipment
14 November	Network analyser	Used	Non DTI equipment
8 December	Laptop	Used	Routine data
18 December	Psion	Used	Routine data
1998
9 January	Monitor	Used	Device does not store data
19 January	PC base unit	Used	No DTI data
10 February	Laptop	New	Unused—no DTI data
31 March	PC base unit	Used	No DTI data
1 May	Server(4)	Used	Device does not store data; merely holds list of IP addresses in volatile memory
13 May	2 printers	Used	Devices do not store data
9 June	Laptop, printer	Used	No DTI data on laptop—printer does not store data
9 October	Laptop	used	Restricted data
13 November	Laptop	Used	No DTI data
1999
23 February	Laptop	Used	No DTI data
16 March	Laptop	New	Unused—no DTI data
22 March	Printer	Used	Device does not store data
24 June	PC	Used	No protectively marked data
8 July	Psion	Used	Name and address
10 August	PC	New	Unused—no DTI data
21 October	Laptop	Used	Non DTI equipment
1 November	Laptop	Used	Non DTI equipment
3 November	Modem	Used	Device does not store data
29 November	Ethernet hub	Used	Device does not store data
13 December	PC	New	Unused—no DTI data
2000
10 January	Laptop	Used	Non DTI equipment
26 July	2 laptops	Used	Non DTI equipment
14 March	Laptop	Used	Non DTI equipment
10 December	Flat screen	Used	Device does not store data
21 December	Flat screen	Used	Device does not store data
27 December	Flat screen	Used	Device does not store data

⁽⁴⁾ The "server" was a PAC server. This device acts as an interface for web based browsing and held a look-up list of users who were permitted internet access in non-permanent memory (with a 24 hour back-up battery).

20 Mar 2002 : Column 365W

Unitas report for 1 April 2001 to January 2002	New/used	Data status
5 MURA laptops	3 new	No DTI data
	1 used	Test system; no live data present
	1 used	Data encrypted including temporary work areas
1 other laptop	—	Non DTI equipment
3 PCs	2 new	No DTI data
	1 used	No DTI data stored locally; all held on servers
Flat screen	Used	Device does not store data

Where the equipment is shown as not belonging to DTI, it would have held software and data belonging to the owning company rather than DTI.

Scientific and Engineering Institutions

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to review her Department's funding support to the scientific and engineering learned institutions; and if she will make a statement. [43580]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 19 March 2002]: My Department provides an annual grant in aid to both the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering from the science budget, mainly for fellowships and international exchanges. This funding is reviewed, together with the other components of the science budget, at each Government Spending Review.

My officials also meet the Executive Secretaries and other members of staff of each body approximately quarterly to review progress in respect of grant in aid funded programmes, and to discuss other matters of common interest.

Broadly comparable arrangements cover funding to other learned societies from the Research Councils. However, the sums involved are small, and do not come directly through the science budget. Examples of these would include the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry, which receive funds from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for workshops, summer schools, and conferences.

My Department is also considering a programme of support for funding projects to be undertaken by the Engineering and Technology Board.

Engineers

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many chartered engineers there are in her Department; and what grade they hold. [43578]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 19 March 2002]: The number of chartered engineers recorded on the Department's personnel database is listed by grade in the table.

20 Mar 2002 : Column 366W

Range	Number
Senior civil service	1
Range 11	3
Range 10	10
Range 9	3

The figures do not include any chartered engineers who may be working in the Department who are not currently in the database. This includes staff in the Construction Industry Directorate whose full records have yet to be transferred from their previous Department.

UK Exporters (North and Central America)

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries were dealt with from potential United Kingdom exporters by the trade desks at United Kingdom embassies in (a) the USA, (b) Canada and (c) Mexico in the last 12 months. [41923]

Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 11 March 2002]: Overseas posts in the USA, Canada and Mexico do not record information on the number of initial inquiries for their markets from potential British exporters. However a new information system will record such information in future.

Individual Voluntary Arrangements

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many individual voluntary arrangements commenced in 2001. [43647]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 19 March 2002]: There were 6,298 individual voluntary arrangements commenced in 2001.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Public-private Partnerships (Consultants)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total external spending by her Department was on public-private partnership consultants in each of the last four years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement. [43198]

Hilary Benn: DFID has engaged consultants to help on the public-private partnership with the Commonwealth Development Corporation. Annual spending and the number of consultancy firms are given in the table. The other information requested is not obtainable without disproportionate effort.

£

	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02(5)	Total
Legal advice (two firms)	9,867	650,029	169,398	210,348	81,542	1,121,184
Financial advice (one firm)	—	702,851	452,050	354,681	152,750	1,662,332
Tax advice (one firm)	—	75,788	93,888	121,495	86,833	378,004
Accountancy advice (one firm)	—	—	—	100,815	—	100,815
Totals (five firms)	9,867	1,428,668	715,336	787,339	321,125	3,262,335

⁽⁵⁾ Provisional

20 Mar 2002 : Column 367W

Belize

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what reasons she has decided not to grant debt relief under the Commonwealth Debt Initiative to Belize; when this decision was taken; for what reasons Belize has not met the criteria under the Commonwealth Debt Initiative; if she has scheduled further discussions between her Department and the Government of Belize on this issue; and if she will make a statement. [43472]

Hilary Benn: Belize was considered for CDI under the three basic CDI criteria—commitment to pro-poor policies, promotion of responsive and accountable government; and application of macro-economic policies to encourage sustainable development. Although some progress had been made in implementing commitments in relation to the first two criteria, on the third criterion my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development shared the concerns set out in the IMF Article IV report from April 2001, particularly in terms of significant increases in external commercial debt levels and the widening public sector deficit. Against this background she concluded that Belize had not fulfilled the CDI criteria. There is provision for a further review later this year.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library a copy of the correspondence sent by her Department on 26 June 2001 to KPMG on its study commissioned by her Department of the regulation of offshore financial services in Belize and the effect of tax exemptions on pro-poor programmes; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the reply from KPMG. [43470]

Hilary Benn: There was no correspondence. The exchange between DFID and KPMG referred to in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development's earlier answer took place on the telephone.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what dates since 3 August 2001 officials from her Department have held meetings with the Government of Belize to discuss the issue of Commonwealth Debt Initiative and the effect of tax exemptions and public investment companies on pro-poor programmes. [43471]

Hilary Benn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development met with Prime Minister Musa in October 2001 as referred to in her reply to question 29276. DFID officials also met with Prime Minister Musa and Minister Fonesca in November 2001. A range of issues, including CDI, were discussed on both occasions.

20 Mar 2002 : Column 368W

---