§ Mr. Stephen O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent in each year by his Department in preparing for UK entry to the euro; how much his Department plans to spend on preparations for UK entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates he has made of the total costs to his Department of changeover to the European Single Currency. [131596]
§ Hilary Benn:Approximately £55,000 will have been spent this year on consultancy costs. These are the only separately identifiable costs incurred since 1999. Other costs comprise modest internal staff time and ensuring that IT system developments are euro compatible; these cannot be separately identified but are likely to have been modest. The costs of conversion in the event of a positive decision on UK entry are estimated at around £500,000.