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Dept of Trade and Industry

Answer

Mr. Swinney: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the outward missions organised by her Department in 1996-97 and the companies involved in each. [36187] Mrs. Roche: [holding answer 26 March 1998]: A list of missions organised and supported under the Department's Outward Mission Scheme in 1996-97 together with the name and telephone number of the organiser will be placed in the Library of the House. Over 4,700 companies took part in 219 missions. The organisers can be contacted for details of the companies participating. The Outward Mission Scheme is primarily aimed at providing practical and financial support to small to medium sized UK companies relatively new to the markets concerned to travel overseas as part of a group to promote UK exports of goods and services. Ministerial delegations and delegations led by senior officials are sometimes organised outside the scheme by the Department and other Government Departments where the nature of the event and status/experience of the companies would make financial support inappropriate. Details of ministerial missions organised by the Department since May 1997 were provided on 23 February 1998, Official Report, columns 106-07, in response to a question tabled by the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan).

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

309 c479-80W; 36187

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Companies Exports Ministers Overseas trade Visits abroad Trade missions Trade promotion

Contains statistics

Yes