To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the International Business Advisory Council has met; what the cost of each meeting was; and who attended each meeting. (260549)

The International Business Advisory Council met at a breakfast meeting on 17 November 2006.

In addition to the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, the attendees were: Mr. Robert Rubin (Citigroup), Sir Li Ka-Shing (Hutchinson Whampoa), Sir John Rose (Rolls Royce), Dr. J P Gamier (then of GSK), Mr. Ratan Tata (Tata Group), M Bernauld Arnault (LVMH) and Ms Meg Whitman (then of ebay). The event cost £421.

In June 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown established the Business Council for Britain, which replaced the International Business Advisory Council, to advise on domestic and international business issues. Former members of the International Business Advisory Council are invited to attend formal meetings of the Business Council for Britain, and a number of them have done so.

For information on the current work of the Business Council for Britain please consult the BERR website:

www.berr.gov.uk/about/bcb/index.html