§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts over £92,500 have been let by his Department in the 1988–89 financial year and the current financial year to date; and how many of these were(a) automatically renewed and (b) advertised throughout the European Community.
§ Mr. FreemanThe figures for 1988-89 relate to the Department of Health and Social Security. It is not possible to apportion expenditure to each Department separately.
332WThe 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 the EC 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 Health, and covered by the provisions of the EC Supplies Directive, for which the current threshold is £92,000, was four in the current financial year to date. All of these were awarded following advertisement in the EC Journal. None was considered to be exempt from advertising.