LONDON – Tuesday 25th January 2005 – Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) has been appointed by Hansard International Limited and Hansard Europe Limited to advise on their UK Managed Fund which is available via the products offered by them through intermediaries.

The £15m mandate will be managed within MLIM’s UK Dynamic Fund. The UK Dynamic Fund invests in a portfolio of quoted UK securities and is managed by Mark Lyttleton. The UK Dynamic Fund has an AA rating from Standard & Poor’s. Joseph Kanarek, Chairman, Hansard Development Services Limited explained:

“The appointment of Merrill Lynch to our UK Managed Fund is consistent with the Hansard proposition of providing clients with access to the very best external managers. We selected the ML UK Dynamic Fund on the strength of its investment team and investment process. We are delighted to have enhanced our relationship with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.”

Richard Royds, Head of MLIM’s UK Retail Business, commented:

“Our UK performance is very strong and we are delighted this has been reflected in Hansard’s selection of the ML UK Dynamic Fund”

For further information please contact David Findlay, Product Support Manager (+44 1624 688227 or david.findlay@hansard.com) or Paul Harwood, Managing Director, Hansard Administration Services Limited (+44 1624 688047 or paul.harwood@hansard.com