§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which Minister has accepted responsibility for the large losses and malpractices recently discovered in the Property Services Agency, and if none, why.
§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Lord Bellwin)The Property Services Agency is part of the Department of the Environment and ministerial responsibility for its activities fall to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.
The noble Lord's Question refers to the recent report by the Committee of Public Accounts covering the investigation of a number of cases of fraud and corruption in the agency which occurred over a period of some six years between 1976 and 1982. I refer the noble Lord to the speech by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, the Member for Ealing Acton, on 17th July, which refers to the actions which are being taken to improve the agency's management and to ensure that the highest possible standards of conduct are enforced. [HOC, Vol. 64: col. 255.]