Electricity Consultative Councils

HC Deb 15 June 1982 vol 25 cc222-3W

Mr. Woolmer

asked the Minister for Trade (1) what arrangements are made for the annual audit of the accounts of electricity consultative councils;

(2) if his Department has been asked by the Yorkshire Electricity Consultative Council to investigate the expenses claims of members of that body; and if he will make a statement;

(3) when the financial accounts of the Yorkshire Electricity Consultative Council were last audited; who carried out the audit; to whom a report was made; and what observations were made by the auditors.

Dr. Vaughan

[pursuant to his reply, 14 June 1982, c. 182]: The electricity consultative councils, like the other nationalised industry consumer councils, are financed directly by my Department. Expenditure on them is monitored and controlled on the same basis as other Departmental expenditure, and is subject to audit by the Department's internal audit staff as well as by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The councils do not produce separate audited accounts.

At the request of the Yorkshire electricity consultative council itself, we are undertaking a special examination of expense claims submitted by its members in the last three years.