§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles, and of what value, were purchased by(a) his Department, (b) British Rail and (c) other public sector agencies for which he is responsible in 1988; and how many of these vehicles were British made within the definition of British as set out by the Department of Trade and Industry in its arrangement on content with the European Community.
§ Mr. Peter Bottomley[holding answer 17 April 1989]: The Department of Transport purchased 24 new vehicles in 1988—mostly for research or other specialist use—at a cost of £737,472. Eleven of these vehicles were United Kingdom-produced, on the definition employed by the DTI for statistical purposes, under which a vehicle is 189W classified as United Kingdom-produced if the United Kingdom content exceeds 50 per cent. of the ex-works value. These figures do not include second-hand cars used for impact studies, which are purchased at minimum cost.
Details of vehicles purchased by British Rail or other sponsored bodies are not available within the Department.