HC Deb 25 November 1993 vol 233 cc102-3W
Mr. Wilson

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that there is no conflict of interest between Sir Christopher Foster's role as adviser to his Department and his position as a director of Coopers and Lybrand.

Mr. Freeman

Sir Christopher Foster ceased to be my right hon. Friend's special adviser on 16 November. The need to avoid potential conflicts of interest was covered in the terms of his original appointment.

Mr. Wilson

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement on the progress of the consultancy contract awarded to Coopers and Lybrand, to establish a charging regime for track users under the proposed reorganisation and privatisation of British Rail;

(2) if he will list the consultancy commissions, and value thereof, of contracts awarded to Coopers and Lybrand in connection with the re-organisation and proposed privatisation of British Rail.

Mr. Freeman

Good progress has been made. Detailed proposals on the structure of access charges and calculation methods have been made and are being implemented. The breakdown of contract costs is a matter of commercial confidentiality. As I said in my answer of 3 November to the Member for Devon, North (Mr. Harvey), the Department has paid approximately £1.6 million to Coopers and Lybrand for work on access and charging since December 1991. Sums for the most recent work have yet to be settled.

Mr. Wilson

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many of the contracts awarded to Coopers and Lybrand in connection with the reorganisation and proposed privatisation of British Rail were(a) on the basis of competitive tendering and (b) by invitation;

(2) from what sources his Department sought advice on Coopers and Lybrand's suitability to carry out that work where consultancy contracts were awarded to Coopers and Lybrand in connection with re-organisation and proposed privatisation of British Rail on the basis of invitation.

Mr. Freeman

Two contracts have been awarded to Coopers and Lybrand in this connection on the basis of competitive tendering. Following the completion of work under the first contract, further work was carried out by invitation between April and August this year on an interim basis while a second tendering exercise was carried out. Coopers and Lybrand's suitability for this interim contract was determined by the Department's evaluation of their work on access and charging up to that point.