§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the directors and nominating organisations of the board of Ferguslie Community Business Securities, their holding companies and predecessors. [20223]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonMr right hon. Friend is not involved in the running of these companies and so cannot supply the detailed information requested which should be available from Companies House. However, through the involvement of the Scottish Office in the Ferguslie Park partnership, he understands that Strathclyde regional council, Renfrew district council and the Ferguslie Park Training, Employment and Enterprise Development—TEED—Company Ltd. are entitled to nominate directors to the board of Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Ltd. The directors appointed by the Ferguslie Park TEED Company Ltd. have been members of the Ferguslie Park business support group appointed to offer business expertise in the running of the company's affairs in line with the recommendations of management consultants' report prepared in 1989.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will arrange for an inquiry into the accounts of Ferguslie Park Community Business Securities, its holding company or companies and their predecessors; if he will ensure that the scope of the inquiry includes employment practices and accounting procedures; and if he will make a statement. [20225]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: My right hon. Friend has no involvement in the management of the companies and has no locus to establish such an inquiry.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number, and sources, of representations received by him, or by the Ferguslie Park partnership, into the activities of Ferguslie Community Business Securities, their holding companies and predecessors. [20224]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: No such representations have been received by my right hon. Friend or the Ferguslie Park partnership.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place a copy of the annual report of(a) FCB Securities, (b) FCB holding companies and (c) Ferguslie Park partnership in the Library. [20222]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: My right hon. Friend has no involvement in the management of either FCB Securities or Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Ltd. and does not, therefore, hold copies of their annual reports. These should be available from Companies House. The Ferguslie Park partnership is a voluntary grouping of parties dedicated to the regeneration of Ferguslie park. As such, it does not produce annual reports. Members of the partnership agreed in 1989 to establish a limited company, the Ferguslie Park Training, Economic and Enterprise Development Company Ltd., to promote the economic regeneration of the area. I shall arrange for a copy of the most recent annual report of that company, relating 348W to the year ending 31 March 1994, to be placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will make a statement on the involvement of(a) the Scottish Office, (b) Ferguslie Park partnership, (c) Strathclyde regional council and (d) Renfrew district council with Ferguslie Park Community Business Securities, their holding companies and their predecessors; [20226]
(2) if he will list the amount of money deriving from Scottish Office sources including Ferguslie Park partnership which has been made available to FCB Securities, its holding companies or its predecessors before its establishment or since its establishment. [20216]
(3) if he will specify any changes in status or structure which have been made to F.C.B. Securities, its holding companies or their predecessors since the formulation of the Ferguslie Park partnership; and if he will make a statement. [20217]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: The Scottish Office is not and has not been involved in the running of any of these businesses.
Over the period 1980–81 to 1983–84 Flagstone Enterprises (Ferguslie) (Manufacture and Service) Ltd. received urban programme grant of £80,174 for establishment, management and administration costs. Over the period 1986–87 to 1992–93 Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Ltd. received urban programme grant of £132,610 for acquisition and improvement of premises and purchase of equipment and £270,294 for management and administration costs. The purpose of these urban programme grants was to create and sustain jobs for local people in an area of high unemployment. Seventy-five per cent. of these costs were met by the Scottish Office, 25 per cent. by Strathclyde regional council.
In 1990 the Ferguslie Park Training, Economic and Enterprise Development—TEED—Company Ltd., which was established by members of the Ferguslie Park partnership in 1989 to promote the economic regeneration of the area, provided a grant of £62,500 to Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Ltd., as part of a rescue and restructuring process. This followed preparation of a management consultants' report which had identified trading difficulties and a number of management issues to be addressed. As part of this restructuring, the company's board of directors was augmented by representatives of the Ferguslie Park business support group, who were in a position to offer their business expertise to the board. Since the restructuring of the business, the Ferguslie Park TEED Company Ltd. has bought services from the business—including security services—on a commercial basis. As part of its training services, which are available to all employers of Ferguslie park residents, the Ferguslie Park—TEED—Company Ltd. has offered assistance to the business in the training and development of its staff.
The contribution of £62,500 to the rescue and restructuring of Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Ltd. was matched by an equivalent contribution from Strathclyde regional council which, as noted, also provided 25 per cent. of the urban programme grant to the company and its predecessor. Apart from this, the 349W Scottish Office is not in a position to comment on the involvement of Strathclyde regional council and Renfrew district council in these companies.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will name the external auditors of(a) Ferguslie Park partnership, (b) FCB Securities, (c) FCB Holding Companies and (d) their predecessors. [20214]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: The Ferguslie Park partnership is a voluntary grouping of parties dedicated to the regeneration of the area. As such, it does not produce annual accounts and so there is no external auditor. Members of the partnership agreed in 1989 to establish a limited company, the Ferguslie Park Training, Economic and Enterprise Development TEED Company Ltd., to promote the economic regeneration of the area. The external auditors of the Ferguslie Park TEED Company Ltd., are J. Bruce Andrew and Co., chartered accountants, Paisley. My right hon. Friend is not and has not been involved in the running of Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Ltd., or its subsidiary companies and the external audit of these companies is therefore not a matter for which he has responsibility.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the findings of inquiries into the operation of FCB Securities its holding companies or their predecessors with regard to their compliances with the laws and regulations governing insolvency or bankruptcy. [20218]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: My right hon. Friend is not aware of any such inquiries.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the findings of reports made to him by the Accounts Commissioners for Scotland into(a) FCB Securities, (b) FCB holding companies, or their predecessors and (c) Ferguslie Park partnership. [20220]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: No such reports have been made to my right hon. Friend.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give(a) the date, (b) the purpose and (c) the participants of each ministerial visit to the Ferguslie Park partnership since its establishment or the most recent period for which information is available; if he will highlight any of the visits which involved Ferguslie Community Business Securities, its holding companies or predecessors; and if he will make a statement. [20221]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: Details of the visits by Ministers to the Ferguslie Park partnership are set out in the table:
350W
Date Visitor Purpose of visit March 1989 Right hon. Malcolm Rifkind QC MP, Secretary of State for Scotland Launch of Ferguslie Park Partnership January 1990 Mr. Ian Lang MP, Minister of State, Scottish Office General visit to Partnership Offices.
Date Visitor Purpose of visit March 1990 Right hon. Malcolm Rifkind QC MP, Secretary of State for Scotland Official opening of Partnership's new offices. August 1990 Lord James Douglas-Hamilton MP, Minister for Home Affairs and Environment in Scotland Discuss development plan for Glencoats area. November 1990 Mr. Richard Needham MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office Overview of work of Patnership. February 1991 Mr. Robert Key MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Environment Overview of work of Partnership. March 1991 Mr. Allan Stewart MP, Minister for Industry and Local Government in Scotland Official opening of community workspace units October 1991 Right hon. Ian Lang MP, Secetary of State for Scotland Launch of Glencoats Area redevelopment. July 1993 Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, Minister for Education and Housing in Scotland Official openings of Glencoats Lodge and Hillview Nursery. September 1993 Right hon. David Hunt MBE, MP, Secretary of State for Employment Overview of Partnership activities, meeting Job Centre staff and visit to Hillview Nursery. October 1993 Right hon. Ian Lang MP, Secretary of State for Scotland and Lord James Douglas-Hamilton MP, Minister for Education and Housing in Scotland Launch of "Progress in Partnership" consultation paper and turf cutting for new Civic Centre The visit by my hon. Friend the Member for Eastwood (Mr. Stewart) in March 1991 involved the opening of workspace units operated by a subsidiary company of Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Ltd. The visit by myself in July 1993 included the official opening of the Glencoats lodge, part of which is occupied by Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Ltd.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the job titles of employees or secondees of the Ferguslie Park partnership who have been or are responsible for the supervision of FCB Securities, its holding companies, or its predecessors since their establishment; and if he will make a statement. [20215]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: There are no employees of or secondees to 351W either the Ferguslie Park partnership, or the Ferguslie Park Training, Employment and Enterprise Development Company Ltd. who have been or are responsible for the supervision of these companies.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will specify the role of the Ferguslie Park partnership in(a) establishing and (b) supervising Ferguslie Community Business Securities; when the most recent audit or check was carried out; if he will publish the finding of the check or audit; if he will list (a) the average number of employees each week during that period, (b) the number of employees required for FCB Securities to fulfil its trading obligations each week during the same period; and if he will make a statement. [20219]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: Both Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Ltd. and its subsidiary company providing security services were established some years before the formation of the Ferguslie Park partnership. Neither the partnership nor the Ferguslie Park Training, Economic and Enterprise Development (TEED) Company Ltd., a company established by partnership members in 1989 to promote the economic regeneration of the area, has any role in the supervision of FCB Securities or its parent company. As part of the rescue and restructuring of Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Ltd. in 1990, the Ferguslie Park TEED Company Ltd. agreed to commission a monitoring report six months after the injection of additional funds into the company. This report established that the company was operating on a commercial basis and to the satisfaction of the funders, namely the Ferguslie Park TEED Company Ltd. and Strathclyde regional council. Neither the Ferguslie Park partnership nor the Ferguslie Park TEED Company Ltd. has any role in auditing the company nor do they have access to the detailed information on employment levels and requirements requested.
§ Mrs. AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the scope of investigations and inquiries which(a) have been and (b) are being conducted by the Charity Commissioners into FCB Securities or its holding companies; and when the reports will be published. [20213]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 21 April 1995]: The supervision of charities in Scotland is the responsibility of the Lord Advocate and the supervision legislation is implemented by the Scottish charities office. No investigations have been or are being conducted into Ferguslie Park Community Holdings Limited by the Scottish charities office.