HC Deb 25 March 2004 vol 419 cc962-3W
Mr. Stephen O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the(a) resource budget, (b) administration costs and (c) staff numbers of the (i) Database Market Strategy Group (Patent Office), (ii) Small Business Investment Task Force, (iii) Small Business Council, (iv) Partnership Fund Assessment Panel, (v) Measurement Advisory Committee, (vi) Industrial Development Advisory Board, (vii) Council for Science and Technology, (viii) Committee on Cleaner Coal Technology, (ix) National Consumer Council, (x) Gas and Electricity Consumer Council and (xi) British Hallmarking Council are for 2003. [162421]

Ms Hewitt

The resource budget set by DTI for the National Consumer Council for the financial year 2003–04 is £4,059,000. The forecast average staff numbers for the National Consumer Council is 51.2 full time equivalents.

The resource budget set by DTI for the Gas and Electricity Consumer Council for the financial year 2003–04 is £12,300,000. The forecast average staff numbers for the Gas and Electricity Consumer Council is 296 full time equivalents.

The resource provided by DTI for these bodies is funded from DTI's programme budgets. The amount of their expenditure, which would be regarded as administrative costs will be published in each body's audited annual accounts.

The following bodies do not have separate resource budgets or staff. DTI provide the secretariat services in these cases and expenditure is met from within DTI's internal resource budgets.

  • Council for Science and Technology
  • Industrial Development Advisory Board
  • Measurement Advisory Committee
  • Small Business Investment Task Force
  • Small Business Council
  • Partnership Fund Assessment Panel—closed December 2003
  • The Committee on Cleaner Coal Technology—closed June 2003

The British Hallmarking Council is funded by the Assay Offices and does not receive a resource budget from DTI. It has one member of staff.

The Database Market Strategy Group (Patent Office) has no budget or staff. Its secretariat is provided by the Patent Office. No internal budget has been set for this body. It has not met during 2003–04.