David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden, Conservative)

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) meetings, (b) communications and (c) other contacts Ministers and officials in his Department have had with the Consolidated Contractors Corporation (CCC Group) and its international offshoots in the last five years.

Ian Lucas (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Business and Regulatory Reform), Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; Wrexham, Labour)

holding answer 20 October 2009

UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) officials based in both the British Consulate General in Jerusalem and UKTI's headquarters in London have been in regular contact with Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) over the past two years, owing to the company's involvement on both the UK and Palestinian Councils of the Palestine Britain Business Council (PBBC). The Business Council, which was established with the assistance of UKTI, seeks to promote and facilitate bilateral trade and investment between the UK and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Business Council was announced on the visit made to Israel in July 2008 by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister; and launched at the London Business Forum on Trade and Investment with Palestine on 15 December (in which my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills participated). Executives from Consolidated Contractors Company were involved in both the visit programme in Palestine and the London event.

CCC is a major contractor in the Middle East and works closely with a variety of British companies. It is possible that there have been meetings and contacts which UKTI's records do not cover.