§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the responsibilities are of the Business Co-ordination Unit; and if he will make a statement on its(a) aims and (b) performance since 1997. [115133]
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§ Mr. LeslieThe Business Co-Ordination Unit's primary responsibility is to match ministerial visit requests from the business and wider stakeholder community with suitable Ministers. Its aims are to increase ministerial interaction with key stakeholders and customers, including business, local government, national bodies with regional interests and the voluntary and community sectors. The unit was launched in 2000 and received a Charter Mark Award for excellence last December. It achieved more than 300 ministerial visits between 2000 and 2002 that otherwise would not have taken place.