§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will break down how the funding for(a) miscellaneous consumer protection and (b) investor protection listed in her Departmental Report 2003 was allocated in 2003–04; and what amounts were allocated in each year since 1997. [147812]
§ Mr. SutcliffeA number of items are included under "Miscellaneous Consumer Protection" including:
£ million 2002–03 2003–04 Consumer Safety (inc. grant-in-aid for ROSPA) 3.4 1.0 Economic Consumer Protection 1.1 4.2 Consumer Information 2.1 2.4 Modernisation Fund1 6.6 6.3 1 The Modernisation Fund is intended to improve the capability and effectiveness of the trading standards service in consumer protection enforcement. Similarly investor protection covers several items, including:
£ million 2002–03 2003–04 Costs: Disqualification of Directors 13.0 16.9 Companies house late filing penalties 2.4 2.4 Financial Reporting Council 0.8 1.1 Repayments to Treasury solicitors1 1.4 1.7 S447 inquiries by outside investigators 1.1 1.1 1 Payments for professional services in connection with company investigations, including the costs of hiring counsel. Unfortunately changes in the DTI's accounting system, and changes in responsibility within the Department make it impossible, except at disproportionate cost, to give a consistent breakdown of figures on this basis back to 1997. However drawing on figures from past DTI Expenditure Plans Reports, the sums allocated to these areas since 1997 are:
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£ million Miscellaneous consumer protection Investor protection 1997–98 8.0 17.4 1998–99 3.2 21.6 1999–2000 3.2 19.3 2000–01 10.7 22.1 2001–02 11.8 23.0 2002–03 17.1 23.0 2003–04 15.0 23.2