§ Andrew MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 July 2002,Official Report, column 175W, on overseas territories, with which overseas territories his Department is consulting about refining and improving their statistical returns. [71571]
§ Mr. Mike O'Brien[holding reply of 22 July]: We maintain a dialogue with all overseas territories over governance issues including, as appropriate, statistics. HMG is providing assistance to help refine and improve the statistical returns in Anguilla and Turks and Caicos Islands through DFID's development programme and has, 1319W in the past, provided such assistance to Gibraltar. St. Helena has received similar support through the United Nations Development Programme. In addition, the Governments of other Overseas Territories have from time to time employed external consultants to assist them in producing statistical data. This has been the case in the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda and Cayman Islands.