§ 1. Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to change the method of payment of the remuneration of Mr. A. M. Alfred as Chief executive of the Property Services Agency to one of paying him direct instead of making the payment to the company jointly owned by Mr. Alfred and his wife, registered as MASA.
§ Mr. HoyleWill the Secretary of State reconsider that answer, particularly as the method of remunerating Mr. Alfred, his tax loan and his pension provisions, are denied to other civil servants? Is it the case that the right hon. Gentleman was not made aware of the objectives of MASA? Did he not inquire why it was necessary to set up the company, if it was not for the purpose of avoiding tax?
§ Mr. HeseltineI do not accept the hon. Gentleman's suggestions. The arrangements were based on precedent.
§ Mr. KaufmanWill the right hon. Gentleman publish in the Official Report the full arrangements relating to the remuneration of this person? After all, while he is in charge of the Property Services Agency he is a public servant and, as in the case of all other public servants, the public have the right to know how they are paying him.
§ Mr. HeseltineI am not aware that the previous Government made public the details of similar arrangements entered into. The officials in my Department proceeded with the arrangements with regard to Mr. Alfred without reference to me because there was a precedent under the previous Government for doing so.
§ Mr. KaufmanIs the Secretary of State really saying that under the previous Government there was an arrangement for a tax dodge by a public servant who was appointed in place of a career civil servant? If so. I would be grateful for details, just as I would be grateful for details about the way in which Mr. Alfred is being paid.
§ Mr. HeseltineThe right hon. Gentleman was a Minister in the previous Administration. It would have been open to him to find that information.