§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the last revaluation of plant and equipment employed by his Department was carried out; and what plant and equipment asset replacement charges are incurred by his Department.
§ Mr. ForthThe Department follows standard civil service accountancy practices which enable Parliament to be satisfied that amounts of cash voted to be spent on certain activities have been so spent. Where assets such as plant and equipment are used in connection with fee-earning services, their written down value is recorded annually in memorandum trading accounts. Proposed expenditure on replacements is reflected in the annual estimates submitted to Parliament.