[holding answer 11 December 2008]: The total amounts spent were as follows:
(a) Travel: (i) Ministers was £85 by train (ii) guests was £11,330 by air and train
(b) Overnight expenses: (i) Ministers was nil (ii) guests was £3,257.
The venue costs for the Creativity and Business International Network event held in Liverpool were £5,500.
The exact costs of venue hire and other areas of expenditure for the Creativity and Business International Network event at the Grove in Hertfordshire have yet to be finalised and will depend on many factors, including the number of delegates.
(2) what conclusions were reached at the inaugural meeting of the Creativity and Business International Network; and if he will publish the minutes of the meeting.
There was no formal minute taken of the meeting but a summary of the main outcomes will be put on www.cabinetforum.org in due course. The discussion at the first meeting of the Creativity and Business International Network in Liverpool on 20 November 2008 will be used to determine the broad themes for the network in 2009. This in turn will inform the agenda for the event in October 2009 which will be published in the new year at: www.cabinetforum.org
A full-time equivalent of 1.4 staff within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have duties relating to the Creativity and Business International Network.