§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many contracts over £92,500 have been let by his Department in the 1988–89 financial year and in the current financial year to date; and how many of these were(a) automatically renewed and (b) open to competition by advertisement throughout the European Community.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardThe number of contracts awarded by the then Department of Health and Social Security and covered by the provisions of the EC supplies directive, for which the current threshold is £92,000, was 40 in the 1988–89 financial year. Of these 37 were awarded following advertisement in theEC Journal and one was considered to be exempt from advertising and may have been awarded to the previous supplier.
The number of contracts awarded by the Department of Social Security and covered by the provisions of the EC supplies directive, for which the current threshold is £92,000, is 14 in the current financial year to date. All were awarded following advertisement in the EC Journal.