§ Mr MaclennanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 2 May 2000,Official Report, column 21–23W, on websites (1) if he will name (a) the websites delivering the objectives of the Department but run and financed by private sector companies and (b) the companies running those sites; if
114W
§ Ms Hewitt[holding answer 24 May 2000]: The total number of loans guaranteed under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme, by region, and as a percentage of all VAT registered businesses in each region in each year since inception are shown in the tables. he will estimate the market value of the services rendered to his Department by the companies running these websites; if the companies running the sites have their services acknowledged on the site; what his estimate is of the market value to the companies of such acknowledgement; and what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department does not seem to endorse any inappropriate advertisers on such sites; [122744]
115W(2) if he will name (a) the websites prepared in partnership with private sector organisations in return for acknowledgement of this sponsorship on the site and (b) the companies helping to prepare those sites; and if he will estimate the market value of (i) the services rendered to his Department by the companies in the preparation of these websites and (ii) the acknowledgement of sponsorship. [122745]
§ Ms HewittThe Department of Trade and Industry has not entered into any significant partnership or sponsorship deals that part fund or completely fund any DTI websites in exchange for advertising revenue, brand identify or acknowledgement. DTI may consider such arrangements in the future provided they fall within the Central IT Unit's guidance that I quoted in my previous answer on 2 May 2000,Official Report, column 21W.
There are only three DTI websites that have some element of private sector involvement or presence all of which are of negligible benefit by value to the DTI.
These sites are:
1. The Auto Industry website (www.autoindustry.co.uk);
The TradeUK service (www.tradeuk.com);
The ISI/Interforum E-Commerce Awards Website (www. ecommerce-awards.co.uk).