To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payments the British Council has made to Stratagem in the last 12 months; for what purpose; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract under which such payments were made. (305163)

The British Council has made the following payments to Stratagem in the last 12 months:

To support the delivery of a conference in Northern Ireland in September/October 2008, which brought together 100 young North Americans and Europeans—£1,470. (This covers the VAT, paid for separately to the £6,950 cost of the contract.)

Annual e-mail subscription service, which provides political updates and analysis on local political developments in Northern Ireland—£813.75.

Facilitation of Living Together International Congress in Poland in March 2009, the British Council’s project on intercultural dialogue in South East Europe and the UK—£1,032.54.

I will send under separate cover copies of the contracts for your information. At this time there are no plans to place copies of these contracts in the Library of the House. The e-mail subscription service is one of Stratagem’s standard off-the-shelf products to which the British Council takes out a subscription and there is no separate contract.