§ Mr. ToddTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list each of the functions relating to payment for goods or services supplied for which his Department is responsible indicating the management systems purchased, all sub-contractors involved in the work, co-operative arrangements with other departments; and the costs of the systems and processes in the last year for which figures are available. [12571]
§ Mr. DewarMy Department is responsible for the following functions in relation to payment for goods and services
confirming the receipt of goods and services (done locally);checking the supplier's invoice (done locally);authorising payment (done locally by someone other than the person who ordered the goods and checked the supplier's invoice);Keying payment instructions into the main accounting system (done locally or centrally depending on specific arrangements). In a number of instances involving large numbers of individual payments, paying authorising information is supplied to the accounting system by separate systems which manage the individual schemes (though these tend to be for grant and similar schemes (e.g., student awards) rather than the supply of goods and services);issuing payment (done centrally, and may be by BACS or by payable order).Payment processing is carried out on my Department's accounting system which utilises cfacs, a package designed by Cedardata plc and supplied to my Department under a contract with International Computers Ltd.
303WNo sub-contractors are involved in making payments for goods and services.
Apart from two executive agencies and one of the associated departments, all Scottish Office and associated departments, including their respective executive agencies, share this one accounting and payments system.
It is not possible to isolate the costs of setting up and maintaining those parts of the Department's accounting system which deal with payments (which in any event are for a wider range of activities than purchasing goods and services) from the costs of setting up and maintaining the system as a whole. In 1997–98 the sums paid to suppliers in connection with the operation of the accounting system as a whole will be £230,764. The cost, in 1997–98, of employing those staff whose duties related solely to the making of payments was £239,262. Nor is it possible, except at disproportionate cost, to calculate the cost of the time incurred by staff for whom the making of payments is only one of many duties.