HC Deb 26 May 1994 vol 244 cc223-4W
Mr. Burns

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Wilton Park executive agency performed against the targets which were agreed for 1992–93; and if targets have yet been agreed for the current year.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

According to provisional figures, which are subject to full audit, Wilton Park exceeded two of the four targets set for the 1993–94 financial year, for the number of conference participants and the cost per head to the FCO. It failed to achieve those for cost recovery and commercial income by margins of 0.1 per cent. and 0.6 per cent. respectively. Commercial income was again affected by adverse trading conditions.

The Wilton Park departmental board met on 19 April. We have agreed to the recommendation of the board that the following key targets be adopted for this financial year: to increase overall income from £953,000 in 1993–94 to £1,039,000; to increase cost recovery from 71.9 per cent. in 1993–94 to 72.8 per cent.; to increase the overall number of Wilton Park conference participants from 1,077 in 1993–94 to 1,260; to reduce the average cost to the FCO of each participant from £345 in 1993–94 to £307.

It has also been agreed that for 1994–95 Wilton Park will aim to recover 80 per cent. of the costs of its commercial activities and 64 per cent. of the cost of Wilton Park conferences.