§ Mr. Derek FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what costs quoted in the document, "New Labour's Public Expenditure Plans", were prepared in his Department; what detailed assumptions and interpretations were provided to officials in his Department to enable preparation of each cost; and what was the total cost to public funds of preparing each estimate. [6347]
§ Mr. HagueThe estimate of the cost of establishing the Welsh Assembly published in "New Labour's Public Expenditure Plans" was made by me. It is not the normal practice to keep a record of the time spent in providing factual information to Ministers and it is not therefore possible to offer a reliable estimate of the costs involved.