HC Deb 05 July 1994 vol 246 c167W
Mr. Dobson

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) of 22 March,Official Report, column 146, if he will show for all consultants and/or other outside organisations or individuals currently or previously employed by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising, (a) the name of the consultancy, organisation or individual, (b) the length of contract offered to each consultancy, organisation or individual, (c) the total amount inclusive of value added tax paid to date to each consultancy, organisation or individual, (d) the total amount inclusive of value added tax expected to be paid to each consultancy, organisation or individual and (e) the services required by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising from each consultancy, organisation or individual; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Freeman

The principal external consultants retained by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising, the services which it is supplying, and expenditure on them to date are as follows:

Consultant Service supplied Expenditure to 30 June 1994 (£000s exclusive of VAT)
Linklaters and Paines Legal services 987
Brodies WS Advice on Scots law 8
KPMG Peat Marwick Accountancy services 599
Samuel Montagu & Co. Merchant Bank 200
S and G Warburg & Co. Advice on rolling stock leasing 73
PJR Ltd. Recruitment and organisational advice 50
Total 1,917

Note: VAT at 17–5 per cent. is payable in addition.

Price Waterhouse and Co., accountancy services, Coopers and Lybrand, accountancy services, and Shandwick Consultants Ltd., marketing advice, have also been retained by Opraf, but no payments have yet been made to them. The amount paid in future to those firms will depend on the work done. All those appointments are terminable not later than 31 March 1995.

In addition, Opraf has 20 employees of its own and 15 seconded staff and uses various external firms for such matters as cleaning and maintenance of its premises, the carrying out of minor repairs, staff training, courier services, printing, and the supply of working lunches.

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