§ Mr. Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what accounting developments are being made in his Department to give line managers better information about the cost and condition of the capital assets they are managing.
§ Mr. BrittanBetter information for line managers about the cost and use of capital assets is being provided in the prison department through the new costing system (though there are difficulties arising from the age and nature of the prison estate); and is one of the objectives which is being pursued in the development of a new financial management information system for the Directorate of Telecommunications. Most of the department's non-prisons land and buildings is managed on a cost-centre basis under property repayment services; these arrangements, introduced on 1 April 1983, are designed to achieve greater awareness of the cost of departmental accommodation and associated services.