§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which statistics his Department has discontinued(a) the collection and (b) the publication of since 1989. [32856]
§ Sir Nicholas BonsorThe Overseas Development Administration collects and reports aid statistics in accordance with internationally agreed directives, which have changed little since 1989; and publishes a selection to meet the needs of customers, including Parliament and others with an interest in the UK aid programme. Some statistics on numbers of experts, students and trainees funded by UK aid are not presently published, pending system reorganising.
The FCO diplomatic wing collects a range of statistical information for internal management purposes. The nature of this has evolved to support more efficient management of resources. However, no central record is kept of which statistics are discontinued.
In the past few years, the volume of information published has increased considerably, in line with open government policy. In particular the FCO's departmental report, a copy of which is in the Library of the House, contains a wealth of statistical material.