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Maps: NIMSA

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. I have today placed in the Library of the House copies of the report into the future of the National Interest Mapping Services Agreement (NIMSA) beyond 2006. NIMSA was established to fund mapping services which are in the national interest, but would not otherwise be provided by the market as they are not economically viable. NIMSA services have been provided by Ordnance Survey. As the agreement is due to expire, the Department for Communities and Local Government has given detailed consideration to the future of funding for mapping in the national interest. The DCLG's decisions are presented in the report, which will be placed on the department's website. While NIMSA will cease at the end of December 2006, the DCLG will continue to support a national metadata service.