HC Deb 28 February 1996 vol 272 cc563-4W
Ms Glenda Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what have been the total payments made to date by his Department to the channel tunnel rail link project team. [17249]

Mr. Watts

[holding answer 27 February 1996]: Union Railways is the Government-owned company which has developed the channel tunnel rail link project. Union Railways has spent £471 million on the project to date.

Ms Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many(a) consultants and (b) other employees are currently employed by the channel tunnel rail link project teams. [17248]

Mr. Watts

[holding answer 27 February 1996]: As at 9 February 1996, Union Railways retained 166 individual consultants and 470 other employees.

Ms Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the total payments made to date by his Department to(a) consultants, (b) outside organisations and (c) individuals for work on the channel tunnel rail link scheme indicating the name of the body involved and the services provided. [17247]

Mr. Watts

[holding answer 27 February 1996]: The information relates to work on the route announced by the then Secretary of State in October 1991. My Department has made use of the consultants listed in table 1. The total expenditure on these consultants amounts to approximately £8.75 million excluding VAT but including expenses. Some expenditure has been incurred in addition to this for legal advice on the implications of the project for railway privatisation, but this is ascribed to the privatisation programme and not to the rail link. Details of payments to individual firms are commercially confidential. No payments have been made by the Department to organisations or individuals not listed in the table except for Union Railways, expenditure by whom is the subject of a separate answer given today to the hon. Member.

Table 1: Consultants retained by Department of Transport in respect of Channel Tunnel Rail Link project
Consultant Services
Samuel Montagu1 Financial advice
WS Atkins1 Technical advice
Grandfields1 Conferencing services
Hill Samuel Financial advice
Touche Ross Accountancy services
McKenna and Co Legal advice
G Maunsell and Partners Technical advice
Tony Ham Insurance Brokers Insurance advice
Richard Ellis Property advice
Sherwoods Parliamentary agent Parliamentary (includes Parliamentary Counsel)
Mr. J. Hawkshaw Negotiating services
1 Denotes consultants no longer retained.

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