§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the(a) operating costs and (b) number of visits were for the Export Market Information Centre in London is in (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99, (iii) 1999–2000 and (iv) 2000–01; what research of customers took place in each of those years; what costs were incurred by that research; and if she will make a statement. [78103]
148W
§ Ms HewittOperating costs (including Information Resources) and visitor numbers for the years in question were as follows:
Approximate costs (000) (Running costs and information resources) Personal Visitors 1997 to 1998 1,423 24,067 1998 to 1999 1,151 22,597 1999 to 2000 1,298 18,167 2000 to 2001 11,974 12,332 1 In 2000–01 the Export Market Information Centre was renamed the Trade Partners UK Information Centre and Enquiry Service with the additional role of handling telephone and e-mail enquiries for the organisation. The new unit handled over 36,000 telephone enquiries and 3,000 e-mails in 2000–2001, or a total of 50,000 transactions, the highest figure since 1997–1998. Customer Surveys were conducted on behalf of the Centre in December 1997, November 1998 and November 1999. The total cost of the three surveys was approximately 60,000.