§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Ministers and officials in her Department have(a) been contacted by and (b) contacted (i) Mr. G. P. Hinduja and (ii) Mr. S. P. Hinduja since 2 May 1997; if she will list the occasions on which there was such contact; and if she will make a statement. [148078]
§ Clare ShortI met one of the Hinduja brothers at a dinner in honour of President Carter on 7 October 1999. Mr. S. P. Hinduja had two days before contacted the Head of DFID India about possible co-operation with the Hinduja Foundation. Mr. S. P. Hinduja wrote to me on 19 October 1999 suggesting a meeting with me about possible co-operation which I declined and suggested a meeting at official level. Following a meeting with a representative of the Hinduja Foundation at official level on 23 November 1999, I and one of my officials accepted an invitation by Mr. S. P. Hinduja and Mr. G. P. Hinduja to a lunch on 11 January 2000 at which co-operation between DFID and the Hinduja Foundation on HIV/AIDS work in India and a possible publication with the Hindi community on the 2015 International Development targets was discussed.
I have had no further contact with the Hinduja brothers. No concrete proposals for co-operation between DFID and the Hinduja Foundation were identified.