§ Mr. ForthTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will give for the consultation on competitiveness(a) the expected completion date and (b) the cost of conducting the consultation. [8249]
§ Mrs. Beckett(a) The consultation exercise is intended to lead to the publication of a White Paper early next year. Beyond that, I believe that a continuing dialogue with business interests is essential to enhancing the UK's competitiveness.
(b) It is not possible at this stage to give a precise separate figure for the cost of the consultation exercise, which has not yet been formally launched.