§ Mr. SpellarTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 20 February,Official Report, column 9, on how many of the 29 projects for the private finance initiative contracts have been signed; and on how many construction work has commenced. [17717]
§ Sir George YoungContracts have been signed on two of the projects cited in the original list, of which one is under construction and one is fully operational. In addition, preferred bidders have been announced on three of the 29 projects, and bids received on eight more.
A further two private finance projects were not included in the original list, of which one is under construction and one fully operational.
Projects worth less than £5 million are not recorded centrally, but are considerable in sum. For instance, in the health field over 50 schemes worth over £100 million have already been completed.