§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out out the separate sums relating to works, office buildings, equipment and consultancies totalling £617,000 in the Treasury minute of 1 February and in respect of any sums payable for consultations, the name of each consultant, the object of the consultation and the sums expended in each case.
§ Mr. KingThe sums relating to works, office buildings, equipment and consultancies are, respectively, £116,766, £84,421, £104,138 and £311,675. The consultancies undertaken on behalf of London Docklands Development Corporation were:
or any part of it or all or some of its inhabitants. Authorities are answerable for the legality of their expenditure to their auditors and, if need be, to the courts, and for their judgment in exercising this discretion, to their electors. While we deplore some of the instances of expenditure under this section which come to our attention, my right hon. Friend has no present plans to review the general operations of the section. However, my right hon. Friend will be introducing an amendment in the terms of the reply he gave to the hon. member for Ardwick (Mr. Kaufman) on 11 February.—[Vol. 36, c. 484.]